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Mapping lichen coverage across caribou herds using high-resolution imagery from consumer unmanned aerial vehicles

Eric Palm, University of Montana, e2palm@gmail.com (Presenter)
Matthew Macander, Alaska Biological Research, Inc.--Environmental Research & Services, mmacander@abrinc.com
Peter Nelson, University of Maine - Fort Kent, peter.nelson@maine.edu
David Paradis, University of Maine, david.p.paradis@maine.edu
Mark Hebblewhite, University of Montana, mark.hebblewhite@umontana.edu

For caribou populations in northern boreal forests of Alaska and the Yukon, changing fire regimes have the potential to alter resource selection patterns and limit food availability, leading to declines in body condition, recruitment and population sizes. To understand the mechanisms by which fires may affect caribou habitat selection and demography, we require better data on the spatial distribution and abundance of terrestrial lichens, a major caribou food source. We used consumer unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and in situ ground cover measurements to sample lichen cover at 22 sites across three caribou ranges in interior Alaska and western Yukon. We classified <1 cm pixels from the UAV image mosaics as either light-colored terrestrial lichen or not using ground-based plot photos as references. Our classified UAV imagery is aggregated to produce fractional lichen cover estimates for 2 m and 30 m pixels, which will function as training data for models estimating lichen cover for larger areas using commercial satellite imagery (e.g. WorldView-2) and entire caribou ranges using Landsat composites. Data from UAVs bridge the gap between in situ ground measurements and satellite remote sensing data by providing cost-effective, high-resolution imagery that allows for interpretation of lichen and vegetation features and also functions to calibrate and validate satellite-based cover models.

Associated Project(s): 

Poster Location ID: 23

Session Assigned: Wildlife and Ecosystem Services

 


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