Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

U.S. Geological survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU Partner for project titled: “Web-based Help for Invasive Species Control (WHISC) - Research and Programming Support”.

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) is an invasive perennial that threatens the Sonoran desert ecosystems by out-competing native species and altering fire regimes. Current adaptive management actions have concluded that efforts to control buffelgrass must include the targeted application of herbicide, but the herbicide is only effective if applied when the buffelgrass is photosynthetically active, or "green". Buffelgrass persists in the landscape in a highly-flammable senesced state and greens up periodically during the year when sufficient precipitation is received. The localized, heavy rains received during the monsoon season make it difficult to predict when and where it will be green and therefore susceptible to herbicide treatment. The need to enhance the effectiveness as well as to optimize the timing of herbicide treatment for buffelgrass is a high priority for regional land managers.

This research is developing a web-based tool that allows managers to predict and confirm optimal timing for herbicide application for invasive species control and to prioritize buffelgrass management activities in their region. This tool is based on the science published by USGS (Wallace et al. 2016) that mapped buffelgrass presence and proposed a strategy to optimize timing of herbicide treatment. The study successfully mapped even low densities of buffelgrass (5%) by developing innovative metrics that coupled Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and PRISM precipitation data. These “Climate Landscape Response” (CLaRe) metrics leverage the degree of correlation between satellite-detected greenness and precipitation values in each 250m pixel. They expose buffelgrass due to its rapid green-up response to precipitation events, which is reflected in higher CLaRe correlation values. Adding even small amounts of buffelgrass to the native vegetation types is shown to dramatically shifts the CLaRe values higher. Furthermore, CLaRe values are shown to stratify the landscape by relative rooting depths, with deeply rooted vegetation types, such as forest and woodland, showing overall lower CLaRe values than the grasslands and scrub types.

Based on these and other results, Wallace et al. 2016 presented a strategy to monitor the landscape to prioritize and optimize timing of herbicide treatment, and this protocol is being used to calculate and deliver weekly models of Buffelgrass Treatment Targets (BTTs). These models are being delivered on a prototype website, but with limited interactive features.

OBJECTIVES: This research project will work with USGS land managers to enhance and improve delivery of Buffelgrass Treatment Targets (BTTs) and the landscape metrics that parameterize the BTT models via the web. The project will also leverage the data and derivatives developed for the BTTs; these data have unexplored potential to improve mapping of buffelgrass distributions in the landscape and to identify nascent populations of the invasive grass.

Objective 1: Work with USGS, practitioners and managers to continue design and development of content and function for the WHISC website. Four types of data will ultimately be served on the website: 1) weekly BTTs; 2) Maps of target inputs that parameterize the models 3) Landscape status, relative to historical conditions; 4) Alerts, with a focus on identifying trends that may reveal nascent populations of invasive buffelgrass.

Objective 2: Develop a method to calculate real-time targets using AI and cloud-based data and programming by translating the current method that is accomplished weekly on USGS' PC. Assess validity and value of targets during upcoming monsoon season; make adjustments as needed. Write a journal article describing the modeling for target identification and efficacy.

Objective 3: Work with practitioners and managers to elicit and learn ways that managers would like to interact with these data and seek to implement features allowing for personal preferences. These functions will be evaluated and implemented as possible to enhance the function of the WHISC website.

Objective 4: Refine models of buffelgrass presence at both 250-meter and 30-meter resolution. Calculate historical buffelgrass presence. Evaluate trends through space and time. Write a journal article describing the modeling for buffelgrass distributions.

Objective 5: Evaluate historical and current Climate-Landscape Response (CLaRe) metrics to explore trends through time, with a focus on detecting suspected new infestations to alert managers of areas for further observation and field verification.

Objective 3: Present project results in new venues to develop new applications and funding sources.