RECOVER MAP 3.1.3.4 Landscape Pattern - Vegetation Mapping baseline land-cover

Vegetation mapping will monitor the spatial extent, pattern, and proportion of plant communities within major landscape regions of the Greater Everglades Wetlands. Specific landscape changes to be monitored that pertain to the CERP include the following: · Changes in the extent and orientation of sloughs, tree islands, and sawgrass ridges as flow patterns, flow volumes, hydroperiods, and water quality are modified in the ridge and slough landscape · Changes in the extent and distribution of cattail as flow patterns, flow volumes, hydroperiods, and water quality are modified in the ridge and slough landscape · Changes in the extent and distribution of exotic plant communities · Changes in the distribution and configuration of tidal creeks, salt marshes, and mangrove forests as changing flow patterns and volumes interact with sea level and salinity in the mangrove estuaries of Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico · Changes in the distribution of plant communities in calcitic wetlands, including tussock-forming Muhlenbergia and sawgrass communities in the major breeding locations of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, as hydrologic gradients change · Changes in the distribution of plant communities of eastern Big Cypress with the removal of L-28 and hydroperiod restoration in the Kissimmee Billy Strand Regional landscape patterns will be monitored using a combination of a transect and sentinel site sampling design (Section 3.1.3.1) and a stratified random sampling design (Section 3.1.3.10). Aerial photo-interpretation is currently the best tool available to produce dependable and accurate maps of the Everglades (Welch et al. 1995, Doren et al. 1999, Rutchey and Vilchek 1999, Richardson and Harris 1995). Aerial photography of the greater Everglades wetland system at a scale of 1/24,000 will be purchased at three-year intervals. Photography will be interpreted and ground-truthed to produce vegetation maps at three-year intervals for the randomly selected cells. Additional cells will be mapped to supplement the stratified random cells along the alignments of the coastal, marl prairie -slough, and WCA gradients that are described above. The vegetation classification scheme of Jones et al. (unpublished report) will be used to identify major plant communities that are defined by typical dominant species.