Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: A landscape model for predicting potential natural vegetation of the Olympic Peninsula USA using boundary equations and newly developed environmental variables.

Author: Henderson, Jan A.; Lesher, Robin D.; Peter, David H.; Ringo, Chris D.

Date: 2011

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-841. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 35 p

Station ID: GTR-PNW-841

Description: A gradient-analysis-based model and grid-based map are presented that use the potential vegetation zone as the object of the model. Several new variables are presented that describe the environmental gradients of the landscape at different scales. Boundary algorithms are conceptualized, and then defined, that describe the environmental boundaries between vegetation zones on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA. The model accurately predicted the vegetation zone for 76.4 percent of the 1,497 ecoplots used to build the model. Independent plot sets used to validate the model had an accuracy of 82.1 percent on national forest land, and 71.8 percent on non-national-forest land. This study demonstrated that a model based on boundary algorithms can be an alternative to regression-based models for predicting landscape vegetation patterns. Potential applications of the model and use of the environmental gradients to address ecological questions and resource management issues are presented.

Keywords: Environmental gradient model, potential natural vegetation, vegetation zone map, Olympic Peninsula USA, boundary equations, environmental gradients

View and Print this Publication (1.64 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pnw_pnwpubs@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Henderson, Jan A.; Lesher, Robin D.; Peter, David H.; Ringo, Chris D.  2011.  A landscape model for predicting potential natural vegetation of the Olympic Peninsula USA using boundary equations and newly developed environmental variables..   Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-841. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 35 p.