Vegetation Types in Coastal Louisiana in 2021 (ver. 2.0, April 2023)

Coastwide vegetation surveys have been conducted multiple times over the past 50 years (e.g. Chabreck and Linscombe 1968, 1978, 1988, 1997, 2001, and 2013) by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in support of coastal management activities. The last survey was conducted in 2013 and was funded by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a part of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) monitoring program. These surveys provide important data that have been utilized by federal, state, and local resource managers. The surveys provide information on the condition of Louisiana's coastal marshes by mapping plant species composition and vegetation change through time. During the summer of 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries jointly completed an aerial survey to collect data on 2021 vegetation types in coastal Louisiana in the same manner as the 2013 survey. Plant species were identified and their abundance classified. Based on species composition and abundance, each marsh sampling station was assigned a marsh type: fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline marsh. The current map presents the data collected in this effort.过去50年间，路易斯安那州野生动物与渔业部（Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, LDWF）为支撑海岸管理工作，多次开展全州植被调查（如Chabreck与Linscombe分别于1968、1978、1988、1997、2001及2013年开展的相关调查）。最近一次调查于2013年实施，由路易斯安那州海岸保护与修复管理局（Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, CPRA）与美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）资助，作为《海岸湿地规划、保护与修复法案》（Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, CWPPRA）监测计划的组成部分。上述调查获取的核心数据已被联邦、州级及地方资源管理者广泛应用。此类调查通过绘制植物物种组成图谱并追踪植被随时间的动态变化，为评估路易斯安那州海岸沼泽的健康状况提供关键支撑。2021年夏季，美国地质调查局、路易斯安那州立大学与路易斯安那州野生动物与渔业部联合完成一项航空调查，沿用2013年的调查方法，采集路易斯安那州沿海地区2021年的植被类型数据。调查人员对植物物种进行鉴定，并对其丰度开展分级。基于物种组成与丰度信息，每个沼泽采样点被划归为四类沼泽类型：淡水沼泽、中营养沼泽、微咸水沼泽及咸水沼泽。本配套地图展示了本次调查采集的全部相关数据。