State Reports - Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island A primary focus of the Southern New England Gap Analysis Project has been development of a systematic approach for mapping deciduous forests. The region is extensively forested with a wide variety of forest types. Due to land use history, forest stands are relatively small and not generally closely associated with elevation or moisture gradients. These regional vegetation characteristics posed new challenges for developing an efficient and reliable methodology for developing base vegetation maps in New England and much of the eastern deciduous forested region of the U.S. Our approach was to use hyperclustered, multitemporal Landsat TM imagery in combination with aerial videography. The MRLC program provided a 12-band hyperclustered image that combined spring and summer coverages. Ground reference of vegetative cover was obtained from a grid of large-scale, GPS-logged videography flown over the region. After developing a visual key of forest types obtained from video prints and field visits to training sites, the flight line was displayed over the hyperclustered image. The corresponding video images were used to label the vegetation at nearly 18,000 sample points from approximately 2,300 locations. Vegetation communities were identified to the alliance level (Anderson level IV), and 30 distinct classes were identified. Through an iterative process, inference rules were developed and the image classified. Accuracy was determined by an error matrix using a stratified subsample of video points that had been set aside during the video interpretation phase. The overall accuracy for all classes was nearly 90%. With the completion of the vegetation map for southern New England, our attention focused on applying the range distribution maps and species-habitat models for the 284 vertebrates species for which habitats were modeled. Standardized EPA-EMAP hexagon range maps for each of the species, provided by the VT Gap Analysis Project, were modified through expert review, and ranges were established for modeling vertebrate species in southern New England. Predicted species distribution maps are nearly complete for all vertebrate species being modeled. Additionally, the conservation lands overlay has been developed for the region, and conservation status labels are being verified. All rare species locations from state Natural Heritage Programs are being generalized to the EPA-EMAP hexagon grid. The gap analysis has been initiated for several groups of taxa, and project completion is scheduled for early 1998. The Massachusetts Gap Analysis team also continues to be involved with international initiatives in biodiversity inventory, cooperating with projects in Romania, Madagascar, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Peru. In cooperation with Conservation International, most of the national parks in Madagascar have been inventoried using high-altitude 35-mm digital cameras in combination with low-altitude georeferenced videography. Similar efforts are being conducted in a number of biosphere reserves and national parks in Central and South America. The goal of these projects is to develop base vegetation maps to provide a tool for monitoring and change detection. Our goals focus on the rapid development of in-country GIS capabilities, making critical data available for resource management decisions, and institutional strengthening within these host countries. The Gap Analysis approach is rapidly being integrated in conservation management programs around the world. At the regional level, our Southern New England Gap Analysis data sets are being used in the planning efforts for the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, a new, multistate, watershed-based effort in New England. Gap Analysis data sets are also being used in workshops to train land use planners in biodiversity conservation in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. Project Information for Massachusetts Project Information for Connecticut Project Information for Rhode Island |