The work proposed here has two objectives. The first objective is to make the full data set outlined above available to the Southern Rockies LCC in a GIS platform suitable for additional spatial data analysis. I will accomplish this objective by working with the USGS Fort Collins Science Center GIS and Remote Sensing Team to assemble and organize all data in hand. Once organized, these data will provide a baseline against which researchers in future years can assess changes in floodplain land cover and land use. The data, especially if coupled with hydrologic models of stage-discharge relationships, may also prove useful to assess where active riparian management to sustain cottonwood woodland should be undertaken, and to develop a [...]
Summary
The work proposed here has two objectives. The first objective is to make the full data set outlined above available to the Southern Rockies LCC in a GIS platform suitable for additional spatial data analysis. I will accomplish this objective by working with the USGS Fort Collins Science Center GIS and Remote Sensing Team to assemble and organize all data in hand. Once organized, these data will provide a baseline against which researchers in future years can assess changes in floodplain land cover and land use. The data, especially if coupled with hydrologic models of stage-discharge relationships, may also prove useful to assess where active riparian management to sustain cottonwood woodland should be undertaken, and to develop a prioritization scheme for such an effort. The data can also serve as the core for a complete GIS-based assessment of floodplain land cover and land use status within the Southern Rockies LCC.
A second objective is to develop and apply a model of Fremont cottonwood stand dynamics in the Southern Rockies LCC, focusing on “survivorship” of stands made up of old trees. By understanding how quickly (or how slowly) the remaining relict stands are disappearing, water and riparian resource managers will have a better understanding of the urgency with which restoration or other management activities should be undertaken in order to maintain a specific amount and/or spatial configuration of mature cottonwood woodland. Objective 2 will involve four tasks. Task 1 is estimating mature tree survival rates during