BLM OR-WA Vegetation Mapping Utilizing Remote Sensing, Burns

There is a need for quantitative multiple-scale vegetation mapping and data that is reliable, scale-appropriate, versatile, and easy to use. The Burns District believes that remote sensing technology has evolved over the past 15 years such that these technologies can augment existing vegetation datasets in a very meaningful way. A remotely sensed dataset would provide land managers cost effective data in order to learn from past actions and improve on future management. Burns District BLM would like to cooperate with entities involved in the development of these types of technologies to build and adapt a data rich information feedback system for public and private managers in Harney County, that accurately measures landscape conditions and serves as a platform to make sound management decisions. The Burns BLM and adjacent land managers (public and private) face many complex resource related issues, including: conservation of Greater Sage-grouse, invasive plant species, juniper encroachment, prevention and responses to wildfire, wildlife habitat, rangeland health, permit renewal, carrying capacity, and riparian conditions and trends. The overall objective of this project is to assist with the development and implementation of new technologies that more efficiently, effectively, and economically monitor and inventory vegetation resources in order to assist with, and evaluate, management actions at multiple-scales. Activities may include, but not be limited to: â¿¢Development of remote sensing technologies; â¿¢Assessing landscape-wide vegetative and functional cover characteristics; â¿¢Creating vegetation maps; â¿¢Analyzing data to best meet land management needs; â¿¢Assisting with data integration collected from multiple resources; â¿¢Sharing the analyzed data with land managers to assist with management decisions at multiple scales; â¿¢Retain and maintain the data in a format that can be accessed and used by multiple land managers; and â¿¢Monitoring changes to vegetation that result from management actions.