[APWG] Tamarisk national-scale mapping & analysis

[Olivia Kwong]

New Study Provides National-scale Maps of Tamarisk

Washington, D.C., February 23, 2006 .The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) and 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have developed an 
Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) which utilizes USGS field data 
and NASA.s satellite applications to map habitat suitable for tamarisk 
(Tamarix spp., salt cedar).  Tamarisk is an invasive plant found 
throughout the western United States.  This national-scale mapping and 
analysis tool will aid in the management, monitoring, and prediction of 
tamarisk spread, and could be used in the future to track other invasive 
species like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and yellow starthistle 
(Centaurea solstitialis).

The ISFS approach combines NASA satellite-acquired data with land-based 
data from 40 datasets containing over 32,000 points, and builds upon work 
done by USDA Agricultural Research Service researchers and others. 
According to Tom Stohlgren of the USGS, data were used to analyze past 
spread rates, current distributions, and predict future patterns.   The 
information is presented in color-coded maps which can be used by land 
managers, decision makers, and others.

In 2004, the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) co-sponsored a 
conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico that launched .Team Tamarisk.. 
Stakeholders at the conference called for improved mapping technologies to 
monitor and analyze tamarisk infestations.  This work is a significant 
step forward in meeting that need identified by Team Tamarisk. In 
addition, it is an important component of Secretary of the Interior and 
Co-Chair of NISC Gale Norton.s 4 C.s. .Conservation through communication, 
consultation and cooperation..

The work of NISC member departments and agencies has greatly expanded the 
.conservation tools. that support the Cooperative Conservation Initiative 
(CCI) and other programs.  The CCI encourages the removal of barriers to 
citizen participation in the conservation and leadership initiatives at 
the local level.  Projects funded include those that restore or conserve 
natural resources (i.e., wetlands, streams, and other habitat).

This work was reported in a recent scientific publication (Jeffrey T. 
Morisette, Catherine S. Jarnevitch, Asad Ulah, Weijie Cai, Jeffery A. 
Pedelty, James E. Gentle, Thomas J. Stohlgren, and John L. Schnase. 2006. 
A tamarisk habitat suitability map for the continental United States. 
Front Ecol Environ. 4(1): 11-17.) It was also featured in a February 15, 
2006 Department of the Interior Press Release (New Invasive Species 
Forecasting System Uses NASA, USGS Technology).

For Press Release information please contact Frank Quimby at (202) 
208-7291.  For more information concerning the ISFS please visit 
http://bp.gsfc.nasa.gov/ or contact Tom Stohlgren at 
tom_stohlgren at usgs.gov.  For information about NISC please contact Lori 
Williams at Lori_Williams at ios.doi.gov.