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Vegetation Mapping using MSN Analysis in INFORMS

INFORMS

INtegrated FORest Management System

MSN

Most Similar Neighbor Analysis

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Overview

●Use MSN to create a current wall to wall vegetation layer utilizing NRIS FSVeg, DEM and Landsat data.

●Utilize the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to grow stand data to current and future year conditions.

●Create alternatives and model vegetation treatments (i.e. thinning) for NEPA analysis and impacts evaluation.

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Definitions

NRIS INFORMS

A project-level landscape analysis framework.

Most Similar Neighbor (MSN)

A powerful application used to impute available ground-based inventory data to non-inventoried units.

NRIS FSVeg

Forest Service Field-Sampled Vegetation database.

Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS)

An individual-tree, distance-independent growth and yield model.

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What is Most Similar Neighbor (MSN)?

● The MSN application is a powerful tool used to impute available ground-based inventory data to non-inventoried units.

● The MSN method uses available data from the ground-based sample units and globally available data measured on all sample units to guide the imputation.

● Examples of global information for all sample units include topographic data and satellite imagery.

● Landscape of vegetation data is available for analysis based on imputations from the MSN process.

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MSN Calibration

●Most Similar Neighbor analysis command files are prepared and tested for each FVS variant. Calibration (selection of variables) is the most critical part of Most Similar Neighbor analysis.

●Variables contained in the command files are carefully selected in cooperation with the researchers who developed the Most Similar Neighbor application and methods.

●Once calibrated, there is a standardized methodology for each FVS variant.

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MSN Calibration Variables

Calibration is the process of finding the correct combination of global and sampled data for each FVS variant.

Global Data = Data that is available for all polygons (i.e. slope, aspect, Landsat, etc.).

Sampled Data = Data that is available for sampled polygons (i.e. stand exams) or other vegetation sampling (i.e. range data, fuels plots). Examples include Basal Area, Trees per Acre, QMD, Volumes, etc.

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Where MSN is calibrated by FVS Variant

Completed

Not Done Yet

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Forests Mapped with MSN

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MSN MappingStatus by National Forest

Region 1

● Idaho Panhandle

Region 3

● Lincoln

● Carson

● Gila

● Coconino

● Kaibab

● Apache-Sitgreaves2 districts

Region 1

● Nez-Perce

Region 2

● Shoshone

Region 6

● Malheur

● Umatilla

● Wallowa-Whitman2 districts

● Deschutes2 districts

● Siuslaw1 district

Forests Completed Forests In Progress

Region 3

● Santa-Fe

● Cibola

● Corrinodo

● Tonto

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Data Requirements

●Populated NRIS FSVeg database.

●Non-forested survey data (i.e. rangeland data).

●Local Vegetation coverage which is related to the FSVeg data.

●DEM derived grids for Slope (in radians), Slope Catchment Area, Insulation and Duration.

●Landsat grids for reflectance values for bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7.

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Vegetation Grouping

●Most Similar Neighbor analysis is run separately on Forested and Non-Forested polygons.

●Vegetation polygons must be divided into three groups by the local GIS shop by adding an attribute into the local stands layer:– Forested Vegetation (FV)

– Non-Forested Vegetation (NF)

– Non-Vegetated (NV)

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Preparing Global and Sampled Data in INFORMS

Global Data Preparation Tool: Summarizes data from the DEM and Landsat Scene into an input format for Most Similar Neighbor analysis.

Sampled Data Preparation Tool for Forested Polygons: Grows all stand data forward to the year of the Landsat scene to calibrate stand data to the current condition using FVS.

Sampled Data Preparation Tool for Non-Forested Polygons: Data is currently used to impute Fuel Models and other light fuel vegetative data (described in the next series of slides).

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Non-Forest Data Preparation

●Fuels data is being loaded into the FSVeg database.– Summary cover by lifeform (grass, forbs, shrubs,

trees).

– Non-Forest fuels transects as defined by Texas A&M process (described in the next few slides). (Texas A&M BRASS-G website also utilizes this data.)

●This data is modeled using the Phygrow growth simulator.

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BRASS-G Websitehttp://brass.tamu.edu/

●BRASS-G: Burning Risk Advisory Supporting System for Grazinglands.

●BRASS-G is maintained by Texas A&M University.

●BRASS-G presents an interactive map interface to non-forested vegetation polygons.

●Polygons are populated using the Most Similar Neighbor process.

●Burning conditions are updated daily.

●Every imputed stand has its own unique vegetation modeled using localized weather using Phygrow.

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Navigation Map for BRASS-G (Lincoln NF – New Mexico)

Polygon shading represents maximum 30-minute burn area predicted for the next week.

By double-clicking on a polygon, current burning condition graphs will be displayed.

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BRASS-G: Low 30-minute burn spread

These graphs represent:• 30-minute burn area• Spread rate• Flame length• Fuel Moistures• Weather variables

The prediction points are graphed in 3-hour increments.

The weather is based on 2.5km grids from NOAA.

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BRASS-G: High 30-minute burn spread

This is based on the actual vegetation grown to this point in time. This is based on weather and soil inputs.

2-3 years of previous daily weather variables are used to grow the plants to their current condition. This is done primarily using soil water budgets.

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Click the photo link to see an sample photo of the area.

This is a photo taken during sampling.

Imputed stands have a photo from the reference stand associated with the record.

BRASS-G: Imputed area photos

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Running MSN

●MSN is run as a tool in INFORMS once all of the data is prepared.

●‘Go/no go’ statistics are presented when MSN is run. This advises the user whether the MSN run should be used for further analysis.

●Statistics are also produced for specific vegetation attributes resulting from the MSN run. (e.g. basal area, stand height, etc.)

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MSN Results

●The NRIS FSVeg database contains a table, NRV_MSN_FOR_USE, that stores the MSN results.

●This table contains a list of links of un-sampled stand polygons pointing them to their ‘most similar neighbor’ with sampled data.

●This process allows INFORMS tools to use imputed data without loading hypothetical data into the corporate FSVeg stand and tree tables.

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MSN Report for Forested Vegetation

Produced with each MSN run is the MSN Report. It is a text file summarizing the key elements of the MSN run. These are the attributes in the vegetation map.

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MSN Forest Vegetation Quality

Gray = Reference (sampled) standsGreen = OK Quality (Imputed)Red = Poor Quality (Imputed)Yellow = Non-Veg (rocks, lakes, etc.)Brown = Non-Forest (grass, shrubs, etc.)

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Reference Stands

NRV_MSN_FOR_USE Reference Stands

• Stands with sampled data.

• Note: FOR_GIS_LINK and USE1_GIS_LINK are the same.

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Imputed Stands

NRV_MSN_FOR_USE Imputed Stands• Stands that have not been sampled.• Note: FOR_GIS_LINK and USE1_GIS_LINK

are different.• USE1_GIS_LINK is the best match.

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Imputed MSN Stands

Red = MSN Imputed Stands

Blue = FSVeg Stand Exams

Yellow = No Data

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How does MSN help you?

●Provides a method to easily maintain and annually update a current vegetation layer.

●Provides a current wall-to-wall vegetation layer containing base-scale attributes.

●Allows a site to grow the current vegetation layer forward into the future using FVS for analysis of future conditions. Some examples are:– Current and Future Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC)– Current and Future Vegetative Structural Stage (VSS)– Current and Future individual stand burning conditions

●Allows for modeling of treatments to the vegetation layer for NEPA analysis and impacts evaluation.

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Vegetation Layer

The results from FVS and MSN are used to generate current and future vegetation layers for each decade in the simulation.

Without MSN With MSN

Fuel Model – Same Year

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Base FVS Vegetation Layer

A wall-to-wall base vegetation layer is built for each decade in the simulation. This layer contains information such as basal area, stand height, qmd, canopy cover and more.

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MSN Accuracy Assessment

●An accuracy assessment methodology exists for MSN as used in INFORMS. Cooperators were:– Natural Resource Information System (NRIS)– Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS)– Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC)

●Plans are to complete an accuracy assessment on the following forests:– Carson National Forest (Region 3)– Deschutes National Forest (Region 6)

●After several assessments are complete, this should provide a standard by which to evaluate and improve base vegetation layer maps.

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Alternative Building in INFORMS

●Vegetative future conditions are created by defining alternatives and applying vegetative treatment prescriptions.

●There are three methods for applying prescriptions to a stand or a portion of a stand. A tool is available to split a stand.

●If MSN analysis is used, prescriptions can be applied to imputed stands (stands which do not have a stand exam in FSVeg).

●Treatments are applied through FVS keyword files. This changes future condition vegetative values.

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Prescription Assignment

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Prescription Assignment:View Results

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Basal Area Before and After Treatment – Same Year

No TreatmentFuels Reduction

Thinning Treatment

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Summary

● INFORMS and MSN currently provide a methodology for vegetative treatments and fuels analysis.

● INFORMS provides the ability to produce multiple alternatives for various treatment scenarios.

● MSN provides the ability to do landscape-level fuels analysis (i.e. fire spread).

● Several MSN accuracy assessments are currently being completed to provide ID teams with more defensible results.

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For More Information

• Steve Williams/Eric Twombly – Project Leads

• Lynne Bridgford – Developer

• Jonathan Marston – Developer

Web: fsweb.nris.fs.fed.us/products/INFORMS