Using object-based image analysis to conduct high- resolution conifer extraction at regional spatial scales

Abstract Distributional expansion and infill of pinyon ( Pinus monophylla ) and juniper ( Juniperus osteosperma, J. occidentalis ) trees (hereinafter, "pinyon-juniper") into sagebrush ecosystems alters the ecological function and economic viability of these ecosystems and represents a major contemporary challenge facing land and wildlife managers. Therefore, accurate and high-resolution maps of pinyon-juniper distribution and abundance across broad geographic extents would facilitate science that quantifies ecological effects of pinyon-juniper expansion and help guide land management decisions that better target areas for pinyon-juniper treatment projects. We mapped conifers at a high (1- m 2 ; i.e., 1 × 1-m) resolution across the majority of Nevada and northeastern California. We used digital orthophoto quad tiles from National Agriculture Imagery Program ( USDA, 2013 ) to classify conifers using automated feature extraction (AFE) with the program Feature Analyst™ ( Overwatch, 2013 ). Overall accuracy was >86% across all mapped areas for ground referencing methods. We provide five sets of full-extent maps for land managers: (1) a shapefile representing accuracy results linked to mapping subunits; (2) binary rasters representing conifer presence or absence at a 1-m 2 resolution; (3) a 900-m 2 resolution raster representing percentages of conifer canopy cover within each cell; (4) 1-m 2 resolution canopy cover classification rasters derived from a 50-m radius moving window analysis; and (5) an example map derived from our canopy cover product that prioritizes pinyon-juniper treatment by significance to sage-grouse habitat improvement. Importantly, the canopy cover maps were developed to allow user-specified flexibility based on their own objectives (i.e., develop phases of expansion). These products improve upon or complement existing conifer maps for the Western United States and will help facilitate habitat management and sagebrush ecosystem restoration through an accurate understanding of conifer distribution and abundance at multiple spatial scales.

• Publication year

  2018

• Venue

  International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation

• Publication date

  2018-12-01

• Fields of study

  Geography, Computer Science, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.jag.2018.06.002
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• A conservation planning tool for Greater Sage-grouse using indices of species distribution, resilience, and resistance.

  2018cited by this paper
• Short-Term Response of Sage-Grouse Nesting to Conifer Removal in the Northern Great Basin☆

  2017cited by this paper
• Special Issue: Targeted Woodland Removal to Recover at-Risk Grouse and Their Sagebrush-Steppe and Prairie Ecosystems

  2017cited by this paper
• Rangeland monitoring using remote sensing: comparison of cover estimates from field measurements and image analysis

  2017cited by this paper
• Using Resilience and Resistance Concepts to Manage Persistent Threats to Sagebrush Ecosystems and Greater Sage-grouse

  2017cited by this paper
• Mapping Tree Canopy Cover in Support of Proactive Prairie Grouse Conservation in Western North America☆

  2017cited by this paper
• Ecosystem Water Availability in Juniper Versus Sagebrush Snow-Dominated Rangelands☆

  2017cited by this paper
• Encounters with Pinyon-Juniper Influence Riskier Movements in Greater Sage-Grouse Across the Great Basin☆,☆☆

  2017cited by this paper
• Pinyon and Juniper Encroachment into Sagebrush Ecosystems Impacts Distribution and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse☆,☆☆

  2017cited by this paper
• Estimating pinyon and juniper cover across Utah using NAIP imagery

  2016cited by this paper
• Wildfire, climate, and invasive grass interactions negatively impact an indicator species by reshaping sagebrush ecosystems

  2016cited by this paper
• Spatially explicit modeling of annual and seasonal habitat for greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) in Nevada and Northeastern California—An updated decision-support tool for management

  2016cited by this paper
• Duff Distribution Influences Fire Severity and Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery in Sagebrush Steppe

  2016cited by this paper
• Integrating spatially explicit indices of abundance and habitat quality: an applied example for greater sage‐grouse management

  2015cited by this paper
• A field guide for selecting the most appropriate treatment in sagebrush and pinon-juniper ecosystems in the Great Basin: Evaluating resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses, and predicting vegetation response

  2014cited by this paper
• An Accuracy Assessment of Tree Detection Algorithms in Juniper Woodlands

  2014cited by this paper
• An Object-Based Image Analysis of Pinyon and Juniper Woodlands Treated to Reduce Fuels

  2014cited by this paper
• Spatially explicit modeling of greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) habitat in Nevada and northeastern California: a decision-support tool for management

  2014cited by this paper
• Mapping vegetation morphology types in a dry savanna ecosystem: integrating hierarchical object-based image analysis with Random Forest

  2014cited by this paper
• Piñon–Juniper Reduction Increases Soil Water Availability of the Resource Growth Pool

  2014cited by this paper
• Saving sage-grouse from the trees: A proactive solution to reducing a key threat to a candidate species

  2013cited by this paper
• Influence of Wildland Fire Along a Successional Gradient in Sagebrush Steppe and Western Juniper Woodlands

  2013cited by this paper
• Delineating Individual Trees from Lidar Data: A Comparison of Vector- and Raster-based Segmentation Approaches

  2013cited by this paper
• Modeling ecological minimum requirements for distribution of greater sage-grouse leks: implications for population connectivity across their western range, U.S.A

  2013cited by this paper
• Resilience to Stress and Disturbance, and Resistance to Bromus tectorum L. Invasion in Cold Desert Shrublands of Western North America

  2013cited by this paper
• National-scale assessment of ecological content in the world's largest land management framework

  2013cited by this paper
• Landsat-5 TM and Lidar Fusion for Sub-Pixel Juniper Tree Cover Estimates in a Western Rangeland

  2011cited by this paper
• Saving the sagebrush sea: An ecosystem conservation plan for big sagebrush plant communities

  2011cited by this paper
• Characteristics and Dynamics of Greater Sage-Grouse Populations

  2011cited by this paper
• Comparison of Object-Based Image Analysis Approaches to Mapping New Buildings in Accra, Ghana Using Multi-Temporal QuickBird Satellite Imagery

  2011cited by this paper
• Object based image analysis for remote sensing

  2010cited by this paper
• Hydrologic Vulnerability of Sagebrush Steppe Following Pinyon and Juniper Encroachment

  2010cited by this paper
• Estimating Juniper Cover From National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) Imagery and Evaluating Relationships Between Potential Cover and Environmental Variables

  2010cited by this paper
• Historical and Modern Disturbance Regimes, Stand Structures, and Landscape Dynamics in Piñon–Juniper Vegetation of the Western United States

  2009cited by this paper
• Object recognition and image segmentation: the Feature Analyst® approach

  2008influential reference
• Age Structure and Expansion of Piñon-Juniper Woodlands: A Regional Perspective in the Intermountain West

  2008cited by this paper
• Relationships between expanding pinyon–juniper cover and topography in the central Great Basin, Nevada

  2008cited by this paper
• OBJECT ORIENTED CLASSIFICATION : CASE STUDIES USING DIFFERENT IMAGE TYPES WITH DIFFERENT SPATIAL RESOLUTIONS

  2008cited by this paper
• Pinon and Juniper Field Guide: Asking the Right Questions to Select Appropriate Management Actions

  2007cited by this paper
• Spatial patterns on the sagebrush steppe/Western juniper ecotone

  2007cited by this paper
• Is Global Warming Causing More, Larger Wildfires?

  2006cited by this paper
• Object-based Image Analysis : Strengths , Weaknesses , Opportunities and Threats ( Swot )

  2006cited by this paper
• DISTRIBUTION OF SAGE-GROUSE IN NORTH AMERICA

  2004cited by this paper
• HUMAN AGENCY, ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS, AND WESTERN JUNIPER ESTABLISHMENT DURING THE LATE HOLOCENE

  2004cited by this paper
• Conservation assessment of greater sage-grouse and sagebrush habitats /

  2004cited by this paper
• Feature Extraction with the VLS Feature Analyst System

  2003cited by this paper
• A comparison of three image-object methods for the multiscale analysis of landscape structure

  2003cited by this paper
• A multi-scale segmentation/object relationship modelling methodology for landscape analysis

  2003cited by this paper
• Impacts of western juniper on plant community composition and structure

  2000cited by this paper
• Western juniper expansion on adjacent disturbed and near- relict sites

  1999cited by this paper
• Viewpoint: Sustainability of pinon-juniper ecosystems - A unifying perspective of soil erosion thresholds

  1998cited by this paper
• Assessing the accuracy of remotely sensed data : principles and practices

  1998cited by this paper
• Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants

  1987cited by this paper
• The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data.

  1977cited by this paper
• System ttrs 22 pr _ 02 Mp _ 15 File # 02 em THE ROLE OF FIRE IN JUNIPER AND PINYON WOODLANDS : A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS

  year unknowncited by this paper

• A Decision Support Tool Using an Open‐Source Methodology for Identifying Woody Encroachment and Juniper Species Vulnerability in the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma, USA

  2025influential citation
• Deep learning and machine learning enable broad-scale woodland height, cover, and biomass mapping

  2025cites this paper
• Use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and regression tree modeling to calculate fractional shrub cover for greater sage-grouse microhabitat

  2025cites this paper
• Linking resource selection to population performance spatially to identify species' habitat across broad scales: An example of greater sage‐grouse in a distinct population segment

  2024cites this paper
• Using drones to detect and quantify wild pig damage and yield loss in corn fields throughout plant growth stages

  2023cites this paper
• A hidden cost of single species management: Habitat-relationships reveal potential negative effects of conifer removal on a non-target species

  2023cites this paper
• Tree species classification in an extensive forest area using airborne hyperspectral data under varying light conditions

  2023cites this paper
• Invasion of annual grasses following wildfire corresponds to maladaptive habitat selection by a sagebrush ecosystem indicator species

  2022cites this paper
• Decision tree-based machine learning models for above-ground biomass estimation using multi-source remote sensing data and object-based image analysis

  2022cites this paper
• Sage‐Grouse Population Dynamics are Adversely Affected by Overabundant Feral Horses

  2021cites this paper
• Spatial patterns of tree cover change at a dry forest margin are driven by initial conditions, water balance and wildfire

  2021cites this paper
• Remote Sensing Analysis to Quantify Change in Woodland Canopy Cover on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA (1935 vs. 2017)

  2021cites this paper
• A customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction

  2021influential citation
• Does Reproductive Status Influence Habitat Selection by Female Greater Sage-Grouse in a Sagebrush-Juniper Landscape? ,

  2021cites this paper
• Spatial patterns of tree cover change at a dry forest margin are driven by initial conditions, water balance and wildfire

  2021cites this paper
• Wildfire and the ecological niche: Diminishing habitat suitability for an indicator species within semi‐arid ecosystems

  2020cites this paper
• Using object-based image analysis to map commercial poultry operations from high resolution imagery to support animal health outbreaks and events.

  2020cites this paper
• Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019

  2020cites this paper
• Integrating Ecosystem Resilience and Resistance Into Decision Support Tools for Multi-Scale Population Management of a Sagebrush Indicator Species

  2020influential citation
• Spatially explicit models of seasonal habitat for greater sage‐grouse at broad spatial scales: Informing areas for management in Nevada and northeastern California

  2019cites this paper
• LANDSLIDE EXTRACTION FROM SENTINEL-2 IMAGE IN SIWALIK OF SURKHET DISTRICT, NEPAL

  2019cites this paper
• Use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and multispectral imagery for quantifying agricultural areas damaged by wild pigs

  2019cites this paper
• A conservation planning tool for Greater Sage-grouse using indices of species distribution, resilience, and resistance.

  2018influential citation
• Forestry and Arboriculture Applications Using High-Resolution Imagery from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

  2018cites this paper