Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Spatial Vegetation Data: Cover Type/Association Level of the National Vegetation Classification System

The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with the Biological Resources
Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has implemented a program
to "develop a uniform hierarchical vegetation methodology" at a national level.
The program will also create a geographic information system (GIS) database for
the parks under its management. The purpose of the data is to document the
state of vegetation within the NPS service area during the 1990's, thereby
providing a baseline study for further analysis at the Regional or Service-wide
level. The vegetation units of this map were determined through stereoscopic
interpretation of aerial photographs supported by field sampling and ecological
analysis. The vegetation boundaries were identified on the photographs by means
of the photographic signatures and collateral information on slope, hydrology,
geography, and vegetation in accordance with the Standardized National
Vegetation Classification System (October 1995). The mapped vegetation reflects
conditions that existed during the specific year and season that the aerial
photographs were taken (July, 1995). There is an inherent margin of error in
the use of aerial photography for vegetation delineation and classification.

The purpose of this spatial data is to provide the National Park Service the
necessary tools to manage the natural resources within this park system.
Several parks, representing different regions, environmental conditions, and
vegetation types, were chosen by BRD to be part of the prototype phase of the
program. The initial goal of the prototype phase is to "develop, test, refine,
and finalize the standards and protocols" to be used during the production
phase of the project. This includes the development of a standardized
vegetation classification system for each park and the establishment of
photointerpretation, field, and accuracy assessment procedures. Fort Laramie
National Historic Site was designated as one of the prototype parks. The
monument is located in the high Great Plains. It contains prairie, hill, and
riverine environments, with vegetation types that include upland woodland,
prairie grassland, riverine woodland, and wetlands.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site was created by the National Park Service on
July 16, 1938. The park occupies 833 acres of land on the Laramie River, west
of its confluence with the North Platte River in western Wyoming. Bureau of
Land Management land south of the park (referred to as Plot 3) and northwest of
the park (referred to as Plots 1 and 5) are also within the mapping study area.
The park is primarily preserved as an historic site. The fort site was occupied
first as a fur trading center, then subsequently as a military outpost. It
further served as a way station for trappers, traders, and emigrants on the
Oregon Trail. The old fort site, located in the western end of the park,
contains a complex of restored buildings and ruins, dating from mid and late
19th century, surrounding a lawn quadrangle. The remainder of the park contains
disturbed prairie and floodplains. The park itself lies mainly on the
floodplain terrace of the Laramie River, with a portion on the North Platte
River floodplain terrace just west of their confluence. A small portion of the
northwest corner of the park lies above the terrace. Plot 3 lies directly south
of the park, across the Fort Laramie Canal. It is an area of rolling hills.
Plots 1 and 5 lie 1/4 mile northwest of the park, also in rolling hills. The
park is surrounded by rolling hills that are used for grazing and some
agricultural cultivation. The city of Fort Laramie is located 3 miles to the
northeast of the park.

The sampling approach used in this mapping effort was typical of small park
sampling, where all polygons within the park boundary are sampled. Two levels
of field data gathering were conducted in this park; plots and observations.
Plots represented the most intensive sampling of the landscape and used TNC's
'Plot Form'. Observations consisted of brief descriptions and were designed to
obtain a quick overview of the landscape without spending a large amount of
time at each sample site. Observation points used the 'Observation Form' data
sheet. Examples of both 'Plot' and 'Observation' forms are included in the
companion report by TNC. Initially, plots were used to describe the vegetation
of the park. A total of 49 plots were obtained from July through August 1996.
These plots were used by TNC to describe the vegetation associations found
within the park. These descriptions are in the companion report by TNC. Map
Validation A field trip was conducted in July of 1997 to assess the initial
mapping effort and to refine map class.

The data can also be obtained from
"ftp://ftp.cbi.usgs.gov/pub/vegmapping/fola/fola.exe".

Information for this metadata was obtained from
"http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/fola/metafolaspatial.html" and put into NASA
Directory Interchange Format.