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1 UTILIZING LIDAR TO MAP HIGH PRIORITY WOODLAND HABITAT IN ARKANSAS DEVELOPING METHODOLOGY AND CONDUCTING A PILOT PROJECT IN THE OZARK HIGHLANDS TO MAP CURRENT EXTENT, SIZE AND CONDITION Project Summary This project will demonstrate a pilot remote sensing and GIS application utilizing LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to test the methodology for mapping size, condition and current extent of woodland habitat in public land areas where woodland restoration is occurring including Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area (SPCA), the Weddington District of Ozark National Forest and Pea Ridge National Military Park. Upon successful completion of this pilot project, it will be possible to develop a scope of work for mapping a larger area. Project Leader: Lane Patterson, Geographical Information System/Remote Sensing Program Manager The Arkansas Field Office, The Nature Conservancy lpatterson@tnc.org 601 North University Avenue Little Rock, Arkansas Phone: (501) / Fax: (501) Project Partners: Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street Little Rock, Arkansas Phone: (501) / Fax: (501) University of Arkansas at Little Rock GIS Laboratory 2801 South University Avenue Little Rock, AR Phone: (501) / Fax: (501) The total cost of this project will be $24,000. The Nature Conservancy respectfully requests $12,000 to complete this project and will provide the remaining $12,000 as match (50%).

2 PROJECT TITLE Utilizing LIDAR To Map High Priority Woodland Habitat In Arkansas Developing Methodology And Conducting A Pilot Project In The Ozark Highlands To Map Current Extent, Size And Condition Location: Habitats: Ecoregion: Ozark Highlands Woodlands Conservation Priority: Data Gap, Monitoring - Arkansas Fire and Forest Ecology Initiative Funding Priority: Project Goal: Research that will lead to on-the-ground conservation To demonstrate the use of LIDAR technology for distinguishing woodland vs. forest habitats, and for monitoring changes in vegetation structure related to fire restoration. PROJECT NARRATIVE BACKGROUND Woodlands are terrestrial habitats occupied by scattered trees with enough space between the tree crowns to allow direct sunlight to reach the ground, supporting a diverse herbaceous ground flora and the wildlife species that require this condition, including a variety of grassland birds, mammals and herptiles. As a result of long-term fire suppression, most areas formerly occupied by these habitats have succeeded to a closed forest structure with resulting dramatic decline in woodland habitats statewide and regionwide. Therefore a number of multi-agency restoration projects have been initiated, including Arkansas-Missouri multi-state projects in the Ozark Highlands ecoregions. The goals of these projects include restoring woodland habitats through prescribed fire and other thinning techniques. With the high number of species identified in the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan (Plan) having strategies related to managing, restoring and monitoring Woodland Habitats, the ability to map current extent, size and condition of these habitats is extremely valuable for implementation of the Plan. The current terrestrial habitat maps in the Plan are derived primarily from Landsat Thematic Mapper spectral satellite imagery. Interpretation of Landsat imagery is very limited in terms of differentiating closed-canopy forest habitats from Woodland Habitats. The current maps, therefore, do not explicitly map Woodland Habitats. LIDAR is the most effective remote-sensing technology to inventory and monitor existing woodlands and progress toward woodland restoration over large landscapes, including entire ecoregions. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology is an active remote sensing type, meaning the sensor has its own source of illumination with a known wavelength and frequency. It functions by directing a laser beam vertically from an aircraft toward the ground. Light reflected as the beam encounters vegetation or the ground surface is detected by a sensor on the aircraft. The time elapsed between emitting the beam and the reflected return is measured precisely and is used

3 to compute the mean sea level altitude of the ground to create high-resolution topographic maps. In addition, the time differential between the "first return" from the top of the vegetation canopy and "last return" from the ground surface may be used to measure the height of vegetation covering the ground. In addition, intermediate returns may be used to deduce vegetation structure. Woodland Habitats can be mapped with LIDAR because a portion of the first returns in an area come from trees and the remainder of the first returns originates near ground level. METHODS Study Area The proposed project will use existing LIDAR imagery acquired by local governments in Washington and Benton counties. The methodology will be developed and tested on public lands where woodland restoration is occurring, including Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area (SPCA), the Weddington District of Ozark National Forest, and Pea Ridge National Military Park. Data Sources The available LIDAR dataset was acquired in August 2004, a prime time period for this analysis because the vegetation was leaf-on. The dataset consists of a GIS point layer with attributes including the number and intensity of returns. Points are generally spaced from one to four meters apart, with a density of about 1,000 points per acre. The dataset is stored in an Oracle Spatial database at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. A digital elevation model (DEM) that was derived from the 2004 LIDAR data is available. It represents the bald earth, or the ground surface elevation with a 25 ft. resolution. Digital aerial photography for Washington and Benton counties are available from 2000, 2004, and 2006, and will provide an important ancillary dataset. The Nature Conservancy collected data at over 90 vegetation plots at Hobbs SPCA in the spring of These data include basal area and stem density, and were stratified across five ecological land types, from valley floor to ridge. Additional vegetation data will be collected at Weddington and Pea Ridge, using the same sampling protocols. Land managers for all three pubic land units maintain spatial records of fire restoration activities. These data will be vital for comparing treated and untreated forest stands using the LIDAR data Analysis Unlike spectral remote sensing instruments (similar to digital cameras), LIDAR is capable of providing vertical as well as horizontal information at high spatial resolutions and vertical accuracy. LIDAR data have three-dimensional attributes that will be used to construct 3D elevation models. The available LIDAR data will be first processed through GIS and remote sensing software and converted into a raster surface that represents the highest elevation recorded by the LIDAR. Subtracting the bald-earth DEM elevations will represent height of the vegetation in each raster cell. The resulting GIS layers will show the range of heights that will be used to distinguish vegetated areas from non-vegetated areas, and also low lying vegetation from shrubs and trees. The heights will be broken into several classes to identify the vegetation types. The LIDAR vegetation maps will be compared to the field vegetation plot data for validation. Expected Results It is expected that the LIDAR-based vegetation maps will correlate to the field vegetation plots. The LIDAR map should demonstrate differences between open-canopy woodland and closedcanopy forest areas. The LIDAR map will also be examined in areas that had recently had

4 prescribed fire applied (before August 2004) to demonstrate the changes in canopy structure after burning. OUTCOMES This project will demonstrate the utility of LIDAR data and analyses for mapping woodland vs. forest habitats in a small pilot area. It will be important to map woodland habitats across Arkansas in the future. This will allow for improving species range and habitat maps for revisions of the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan. It will also help to identify specific areas in need of fire restoration, and will provide a tool for monitoring changes in vegetation structure post-fire. DELIVERABLES Submit report that details the development, methodology and testing of utilizing LIDAR to map woodland habitats in the pilot area of the Ozark Highlands. Maps that show current extent, size and condition of woodland habitat in pilot area of the Ozark Highlands. BUDGET TNC has a current 25% Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate (NICRA) that is accepted by USFWS. Direct Cost TNC Match Total Cost Salary/Benefits (including contract expenditures for partners) $ 7,600 $ 9,600 $ 17,200 Operating Expenses* $ 2,000 $ $ 2,000 Capital Expenses $ $ $ Subtotal $ 9,600 $ 9,600 $ 19,200 Indirects (25%) $ 2,400 $ 2,400 $ 4,800 Total $ 12,000 $ 12,000 $ 24,000 *Operating expenses would include travel costs, facilitation of meetings, and field supplies.

5 Qualifications Lane Patterson is the geographical information system (GIS) program manager for The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas and manages the Arkansas Field Office (ARFO) GIS Lab. He has over 12 years of experience incorporating GIS and Remote Sensing technologies at ecoregional scale to help prioritize and plan for conservation and stewardship activities. Over the last seven years the ARFO GIS Lab has created and/or acquired a vast amount of spatial and tabular data that is critical to large scale conservation GIS/RS projects in the Arkansas. The lab utilizes the most current technology in global positioning system technology, remote sensing software and a variety of GIS hardware and software packages. Ethan Inlander has been applying geospatial technologies and physical sciences to conservation issues for over 12 years. He received his undergraduate and master s degrees from the Department of Geography at University of California Santa Barbara, the #1 geography program in the US (NRC, phds.org). His thesis topic was An Integrated Methodology for the Mapping and Inventory of Riparian Areas in the Upper Santa Ynez Watershed, California. Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Ethan applied geographical information systems and remote sensing technologies to address multiple scale conservation problems in riparian and costal habitats of California. Since joining The Nature Conservancy, Ethan has applied these same techniques to identify and reduce impacts and habitat degradation to freshwater stream ecosystems, conduct local, watershed, and regional threat assessments of subterranean environments, and prioritize and implement karst and riverine conservation actions at multiple scales. University of Arkansas at Little Rock GIS Laboratory: The lab has a team of three full-time GIS\Remote sensing professionals having more than 9 years of technical experience in the fields of spatial technologies. Their lead tech has worked specifically on LIDAR remote sensing through his Masters thesis and hence is familiar with LIDAR data and its applications for ecological studies. The GIS lab mainly focuses on collecting & interpreting GIS, remote sensing data and designing and developing innovative spatial solutions for various GIS applications. In the past, the lab has successfully completed several small and large scale statewide GIS\RS projects. Tom Foti recently retired as Plant Community Ecologist and Chief of Research and Inventory of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, a state agency responsible for inventory and protection of natural areas. His section was responsible for scientific evaluation of potential natural areas to guide protection and management, and review of potential environmental impacts of proposed state and federal development projects. He now serves in a part-time capacity as Natural Area Chief Planner of ANHC. He has published books and scientific papers on Arkansas natural history, including Arkansas and the Land by University of Arkansas Press. He is participating in a project to map CWCS habitats, has published an analysis of pre-settlement forest and woodland distribution in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and has participated in several projects to restore woodland structure in Arkansas natural communities.