Crook County (OR) Invasive Weeds Project
Western Wild land Environmental Threat Assessment Center (WWETAC):
Jerry Beatty - Center Director
Terry Shaw - Chief Scientist
T: (541) 416-6600 E: jbeatty@fs.fed.us, cgshaw@fs.fed.us
3160 NE Third St, PO Box 490
Prineville, OR 97754
Project Location & Background:
Crook County Oregon is located in the
geographic center of the state and covers
2979 square miles of high desert forest and
range land. The county has the fastest
growing population in Oregon (9.3% in
2005) and is also one of the fastest growing
in terms of employment. Traditional
ranching practices are under threat from
this rapid development and vectors such as
invasive species of weeds. Additionally,
our urban interface is being impacted by
the increased fire risk these species pose.
WWETAC & Crook County GIS
Crook County GIS:
Sim Ogle, Steve Dougill, Stephanie Hill
T: (541) 416-3930 E: crookgis@co.crook.or.us
W: http://gis.co.crook.or.us/wwetac/
267 NE Second St. Suite 200
Prineville, OR 97754
3. Produce Base Maps
Before beginning the analysis process, base maps of all 15 species were created and distributed to the project and
weed control field teams. This is the first time that all the agencies involved have been able to view the problem
at a countywide scale and in terms of multiple species. Updates were made based on their comments and integrated into
the project geodatabase.
Distribution of Invasive Species in Crook County
Federal Land = light green
Jefferson
Crook County Weed Master:
Kev Alexanian
T: (541) 447-7958
Crook County Courthouse
300 NE Third Street
Prineville, OR 97754
5. Communication
Each stage of the project is being well document with the goal that the model created
for integrating, analyzing, and modeling weed data can be cooperatively applied in
surrounding counties. A project web and FTP site has been established to
communicate project related information and provide the means to download data.
< Web site http://gis.co.crook.or.us/wwetac/
Wheeler
Building on the counties established weed assessment and mitigation programs and
the expertise of WWETAC and County GIS personnel a joint Invasive Weeds Project was
established in early 2006. Working with the Forest Service and WWETAC has opened
doors in other federal agencies and counties in terms of their willingness to cooperate
and share data. In terms of direct benefits the counties GIS dept. has been able to
expand its software and analytical capabilities creating a significant long-term benefit
for the county.
Grant
Project Work Flow:
^ Interactive ArcIMS Mapping Site
1. Integration
An interactive GIS mapping site has also been created for the project. Users can access
the site and view the current location of invasive weeds. The web GIS is currently
password protected. Please contact crookgis@co.crook.or.us to register.
Integrate local knowledge, state and federal sources of invasive weeds data within a
GIS framework. This approach forms a baseline for weed monitoring and the
application of future control efforts.
CC_GIS
CC_Weeds
BOR
USFS
BLM
Harney
Deschutes
Collation & Integration
6. Analysis & Modeling
ArcGIS
Geodatabase
2. Identify Potentially Controllable Species
Project team initially identified 15 invasive species in the county. The number is
steadily increasing as more data comes in from the field. In May two more were added.
1. Scotch Thistle - ONAC - Onopordum acanthium
2. Russian Knapweed - CERE - Acroptilion repens
3. Spotted Knapweed - CEMA - Centaurea biebersteinii
4. Diffuse Knapweed - CEDI - Ceanothus divergens
5. Medusa Head - TACA - Taeniatherum caput-medusae
6. Dalmatian Toadflax - LIDA - Linaria dalmatica
7. Yellow Toadflax - LIVU - Linaria vulgaris
8. Leafy Spurge - EUES - Euphorbia esula
9. Yellow Flag Iris - IRPS - Iris pseudacorus
10. Yellow Star Thistle - CESO - Centaurea solstitialis
11. White Top - CADR - Cardaria draba
12. Perennial Pepperweed - LILA - Lepidium latifolium
13. African Rue - PEHA - Peganum harmala
14. Mediterranean Sage - SAAE - Salvia aethiopis
15. Hounds Tongue - CYOF - Cynoglossum officinale
ArcGIS
Geodatabase
These species were entered into custom feature classes
inside the project geodatabase. The GIS dept. then
worked with the Weed Master and his staff to record the
current and historical locations of the15 species.
The locations were recorded as point, polyline
and polygon features depending on the
information available.
Work in Progress:
4. Assemble Data for Analysis
Dividing the county into a 1000ft x 1000ft grid (approx. size of a PLSS* 1/4 1/4 grid) we began assembling the data sets
necessary to begin the analysis and modeling phases of the project. Each dataset was saved in vector and raster formats
and added to the project geodatabase. The layers include:
Geology
Habitat
Roads (Buffered 1/8th mile)
The next stage was to analyze the data with the intention of modeling the
relationship between species, habitat, acreage, environmental records and land use. In
order to be suitable for analysis a given species must be present in greater than 100
grid cells. This criterion cut the species to 8. For these species intersections were conducted based on their current locations using elevation and rainfall range, habitat and
geology types as inputs. The resulting layer indicates, at a county scale, where suitable
growth habitats exist. Using the suitability layer as an input we counted the largest
grouping of grid cells (center to edge). This value was doubled and used as a unique
buffer distance to restrict the likely habitat to a more realistic extent. If the grouping
was linear it was not included to concentrate analysis on clusters of weeds.
Of the 8 species 2 (CERE & EUES) had > 90% of their
locations within 660ft of a water body (rivers
& lakes). A further 2 species (CEDI & CYOF) had
> 90% of their locations within 660ft of a road.
However this is problematic because much of the
sampling was conducted along roads. Preliminary
results indicate that the present field survey method
limits analysis potential. More detailed spatio -temporal sampling needs to take place, over extended periods of
time, as well as control sampling away
from road networks.
Work in the next year will include
statistical analysis of the data
coupled with the evaluation and
use of GARP** and RSAC*** models.
Our goal is to try and predict the
movement of these invasive species.
Water (Buffered 1/8th mile)
Elevation
20yr Average Rainfall 1961-1990
These layers were processed to enable raster and vector modeling of the data. For example '20yr Average Rainfall' was
converted to 'Average Rainfall Per Grid Cell'. This process was repeated for all datasets. Additional layers are being sought,
including growing season data, fire history and dates of detection. Slope and aspect layers were specifically not included
because of the spatial scale of the project. Ranges of elevation (specific to the observed species distribution) were utilized.
* (PLSS) Public Land Survey System
Additionally many of the 15
White Top - Raw Data
species are ideal candidates for
1000ftx1000ft Grid Location
General Suitability
detection using remote sensing
Suitability Buffer
imagery which would expand the
scope and accuracy of any modeling attempted.
**(GARP) UCSD Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Production *** (RSAC) USFS Remote Sensing Applications Center