Vegetation Inventory
“No part of the world can be truly understood without a knowledge of its garment of vegetation, for this determines not only the nature of the animal inhabitants but also the occupations of the majority of human beings.”
- Ellsworth Huntington
Currently the PACN is relying on vegetation maps created by several different agencies. Some of these maps are outdated, cover only limited sections of the parks, or have lower resolution than required by the latest USGS-NPS vegetation mapping program standards. New vegetation maps for the PACN will comply with these standards. Maps will be based upon aerial photography no more than five years old and suitable for input into an automated geographic information system. Vegetation maps will have a minimum unit of 1 acre or less and a 1:24,000 map base. Vegetation classifications will be at least to the plant association level of detail, with an 80% minimum level of accuracy.
Status
Final vegetation maps and technical reports are complete for the three west Hawaii parks, Puukohala Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloka-Honokohau National Historical Park, and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Vegetation maps are complete and reports are underway for War in the Pacific National Historical Park and American Memorial Park. Vegetation field plot work is complete at the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA), Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HAVO), Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KALA) and Haleakala National Park (HALE). Draft community classifications, keys and descriptions are complete and mapping is underway for these parks. Accuracy assessment will occur at NPSA during the summer of 2012; while map accuracy assessments for HAVO, KALA, and HALE are scheduled for 2013.
- Older vegetation maps for HAVO and HALE are available upon request from the I&M GIS Specialist and more information can be found at GIS & Maps
- Vegetation Classification Support for War in the Pacific National Historical Park (WAPA) on Guam, and American Memorial Park (AMME) on the Northern Mariana Islands
- Vegetation Classification Support for the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA) in American Samoa
- Vegetation Inventory Project: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park (KAHO)
- Vegetation Inventory Project: Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site (PUHE)
- Vegetation Inventory Project: Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (PUHO)
- NPS Vegetation Mapping Program
- USGS Vegetation Mapping Program
- USDA Forest Service- Landcover Monitoring
- NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program
- NOAA Hawaii Land Cover Analysis
Education and Outreach:
Acknowledgements
Making these data available for every park with significant natural resources is a cooperative effort of the NPS staff at individual parks, the I&M program, the US Geological Survey and in some cases other partners such as state agencies.