Vegetation - Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties [ds3116]

Under contract to the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and staffed by personnel from Tukman Geospatial, Aerial Information Systems (AIS), and Kass Green and Associates, Tukman Geospatial and Aerial Information Systems created a fine-scale vegetation map of portions of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties. CDFWs Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP) provided in-kind service to allocate and score the AA.

The mapping study area, consists of approximately 1,133,106.8 acres, of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Work was performed on the project between 2020 and 2023. The Santa Cruz and Santa Clara fine-scale vegetation map was designed for a broad audience for use at many floristic and spatial scales and is useful to managers interested in specific information about vegetation composition and forest health.

CNPS under separate contract and in collaboration with CDFW VegCAMP developed the floristic vegetation classification used for the project. The floristic classification follows protocols compliant with the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and National Vegetation Classification Standards (NVCS).

The vegetation map was produced with countywide vegetation survey data and combined with surveys from CNPS. Trimble Ecognition followed by manual image interpretation that was used to map lifeforms. Fine-scale segmentation was conducted using Trimble Ecognition and relies on summer 2020 4-band NAIP, the 2020 lidar-derived canopy height model, and a suite of spectral indices derived from the NAIP. They utilized a type of algorithmic data modeling known as machine learning to automate the classification of fine-scale segments into one of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties 121 fine-scale map classes. The minimum mapping unit (MMU) is set by feature type. For agricultural classes, the MMU is 1/4 acre, for woody upland classes is 1/2 acre, woody riparian is 1/4 acre, upland herbaceous is 1/2 acre, wetland herbaceous is 1/4 acre. Bare land is 1/2 acre, impervious features is 1000 square feet, while developed is 1/5 acre and water is 400 square feet.

Field reconnaissance and accuracy assessment enhanced map quality. There was a total of 121 mapping classes. The overall Fuzzy Accuracy Assessment rating for the final vegetation map , map at the Alliance and Group levels, is 92 percent . More information can be found in the project report, which is bundled with the vegetation map published for BIOs here: https://filelib.wildlife.ca.gov/Public/BDB/GIS/BIOS/Public_Datasets/3100_3199

CDFWs VegCAMP appreciates learning how these vegetation datasets are being used so that we can leverage support for classifying and mapping new areas and let users know of any updates. Please contact us at VegCAMP@wildlife.ca.gov or call any of the staff listed here: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP

License: This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Using the citation standards recommended for BIOS datasets ( https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS/Citing-BIOS ) satisfies the attribution requirements of this license.

Disclaimer: The State makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or adequacy of these data and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in these data. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to these data.