Mapping Riparian Vegetation Response to Climate Change on the San Carlos Apache Reservation and Upper Gila River Watershed to Inform Restoration Priorities: 1935 to Present (Phase 1)
Riparian systems are critical to the human and ecological communities that interact with them. For the members of San Carlos Apache Tribe, this is particularly true, as riparian systems provide immense cultural and natural values such as ceremonial grounds and recreation areas. However, the riparian areas within the San Carlos Apache Reservation are at risk of degradation due to climate change and land use. Over the past several decades, invasive vegetation, changes in river discharge, and increased wildfire activity have continued to threaten the area’s riparian resources.
This project aims to inform riparian restoration efforts by providing products that: identify historic vegetation and river channel properties, use satellite imagery to identify areas at risk of further degradation, and show the relationship between riparian vegetation and climate. Specifically, products will depict how vegetation extent, canopy cover, and composition in the Upper Gila River Watershed riparian zones have changed over time and provide information on the current conditions of the vegetation in response to climatic factors and river discharge. Using aerial and satellite imagery over an 84-year time frame, scientists will be working with resource managers from the San Carlos Apache Tribe to identify restoration and vegetation management actions that would provide value to stakeholders and local residents throughout the region.
The results from this project will be integrated with traditional ecological knowledge and restoration goals of the local Tribe to inform the development of an effective restoration plan that is adaptive to climate change. The combination of historical data, tribal insight, and climate adaptation strategies could benefit the management of the natural and cultural resources provided by the riparian systems, and assist the landscape in becoming more resilient for years to come.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 614ce204d34e0df5fb986940)
Laura M Norman, Ph.D.
Supervisory Research Physical Scientist
Riparian systems are critical to the human and ecological communities that interact with them. For the members of San Carlos Apache Tribe, this is particularly true, as riparian systems provide immense cultural and natural values such as ceremonial grounds and recreation areas. However, the riparian areas within the San Carlos Apache Reservation are at risk of degradation due to climate change and land use. Over the past several decades, invasive vegetation, changes in river discharge, and increased wildfire activity have continued to threaten the area’s riparian resources.
This project aims to inform riparian restoration efforts by providing products that: identify historic vegetation and river channel properties, use satellite imagery to identify areas at risk of further degradation, and show the relationship between riparian vegetation and climate. Specifically, products will depict how vegetation extent, canopy cover, and composition in the Upper Gila River Watershed riparian zones have changed over time and provide information on the current conditions of the vegetation in response to climatic factors and river discharge. Using aerial and satellite imagery over an 84-year time frame, scientists will be working with resource managers from the San Carlos Apache Tribe to identify restoration and vegetation management actions that would provide value to stakeholders and local residents throughout the region.
The results from this project will be integrated with traditional ecological knowledge and restoration goals of the local Tribe to inform the development of an effective restoration plan that is adaptive to climate change. The combination of historical data, tribal insight, and climate adaptation strategies could benefit the management of the natural and cultural resources provided by the riparian systems, and assist the landscape in becoming more resilient for years to come.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 614ce204d34e0df5fb986940)