Helmer, E.H.; Kennaway, T.A.; Pedreros, D.H.; Clark, M.L.; Marcano-Vega, H.; Tieszen, L.L., Ruzycki, T.R.; Schill, S.R.; Carrington, C.M.S. 2008. Land cover and forest formation distributions for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from decision tree classification of cloud-cleared satellite imagery. Caribbean Journal of Science. 44(2): 175-198.
Publication_Date: 2008
Title: IITF_CJS44_stknev_landcov.img
Edition: 1
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
Series_Information:
Other_Citation_Details:
Helmer, E.H.; Kennaway, T.A.; Pedreros, D.H.; Clark, M.L.; Marcano-Vega, H.; Tieszen, L.L., Ruzycki, T.R.; Schill, S.R.; Carrington, C.M.S. 2008. Land cover and forest formation distributions for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from decision tree classification of cloud-cleared satellite imagery. Caribbean Journal of Science. 44(2): 175-198.
Distributions of land cover and forest formations for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados were mapped from satellite imagery. Products include a manuscript, a printable map, and a raster dataset. The raster dataset includes the digital map, topographic derivatives, and the Landsat image mosaics. This file is the raster map of land cover and forest formations developed for St. Kitts, Nevis, and St. Eustatius. For details on the image dates and mosaics, see the manuscript referenced below. The image mosaics for St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Eustatius are based on Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery dated between December 1999 and September 2003. The land cover data are posted on the FSGeodata Clearinghouse (<https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/>).
Helmer, E.H.; Kennaway, T.A.; Pedreros, D.H.; Clark, M.L.; Marcano-Vega, H.; Tieszen, L.L., Ruzycki, T.R.; Schill, S.R.; Carrington, C.M.S. 2008. Land cover and forest formation distributions for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from decision tree classification of cloud-cleared satellite imagery. Caribbean Journal of Science. 44(2): 175-198.
Purpose:
Satellite image-based mapping of tropical forests is vital to conservation planning. Standard methods for automated image classification, however, limit classification detail in complex tropical landscapes. In this study, we first test an approach to image interpretation for mapping forest formations and land-cover on four islands of the Lesser Antilles. Secondly, we estimate the extents of land cover and protected forest by formation for five islands and examine whether cultivated areas or forest cover changed over the second half of the 20th century. The image interpretation approach stacks image mosaics with ancillary geographic data, classifying the resulting stack of raster data with decision tree software. Cloud-free image mosaics for one or two seasons were created by applying regression tree normalization to alternate scene dates to fill cloudy areas in a base scene. The approach accurately distinguished several classes that would be confused with more standard methods; the seamless mosaics aided reference data collection; and the multiseason imagery allowed us to separate drought deciduous forests and woodlands from semi-deciduous ones.
Cultivated land areas declined 60 to 100 percent from about 1945 to 2000 on several islands. Meanwhile, forest cover has increased 50 to 950%. Unless sugar cane cultivation becomes more profitable and competitive on the islands where it previously dominated agriculture, this trend will likely continue. Like the island of Puerto Rico, most higher-elevation forest formations are protected in formal or informal reserves. Lowland forests, however, which are drier forest types on these islands, are not well represented in reserves. Former cultivated lands in lowland areas could provide lands for new forest conservation reserves of drier forest types. The land-use history of these islands may provide insight for planners in countries currently considering lowland forest clearing for agriculture.
Supplemental_Information:
USAID and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry provided funding for this work. Other contributors included the USGS Center for EROS, The Nature Conservancy, and CEMML of Colorado State University. The NASA Global Observation of Forest Cover program provided most of the Landsat ETM+ imagery. Cooperating institutions included the St. Kitts Departments of Agriculture and Physical Planning, the Brimstone Hill National Park, and the Nevis Departments of Agriculture and Physical Planning. Contributors included Patrick Williams, Quincy Alexander, Ilis Palmer-Rannie, Floyd Liburd, Keithly Amory, Rene Walters, and Bernard Vanderpool. The contributions of these agencies, institutions and individuals do not imply specific endorsement of these products.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: December 1999
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -63.043867
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -62.490891
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.571554
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.056766
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
REQUIRED: Reference to a formally registered thesaurus or a similar authoritative source of theme keywords.
Theme_Keyword: land cover
Theme_Keyword: land use
Theme_Keyword: forest formation
Theme_Keyword: forest type
Theme_Keyword: forest conservation
Place:
Place_Keyword: St. Kitts
Place_Keyword: Nevis
Place_Keyword: St. Eustatius
Place_Keyword: Netherlands Antilles
Place_Keyword: Lesser Antilles
Place_Keyword: Caribbean
Temporal:
Temporal_Keyword: 1999
Temporal_Keyword: 2000
Access_Constraints:
No access constraints after peer review is completed. Contact E. Helmer for updates on the peer review process.
Use_Constraints:
Low density urban lands include as little as 10-15% urban/built-up land.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: E. H. Helmer
Contact_Organization:
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service
Citation (including on web displays and map servers): Helmer, E.H.; Kennaway, T.A.; Pedreros, D.H.; Clark, M.L.; Marcano-Vega, H.; Tieszen, L.L., Ruzycki, T.R.; Schill, S.R.; Carrington, C.M.S. 2008. Land cover and forest formation distributions for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from decision tree classification of cloud-cleared satellite imagery. Caribbean Journal of Science. 44(2): 175-198.
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.6.1500
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Publication_Date: Unknown
Title:
Helmer, E.H., Kennaway, T., Pedreros, D., Tieszen, L., Marcano, H., Schill, S., Ruzycki, T., Carrington, S., Clark, M., 2007. Distributions of land cover and forest formations for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from satellite imagery. Manuscript in Preparation. International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. After March 2007, please contact E. Helmer for an updated citation.
Under no circumstances shall the USDA Forest Service or the International Institute of Tropical Forestry be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from the use, misuse, or inability to use this software, even if IITF has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
