Using multitemporal satellite imagery to characterize forest wildlife habitat: The case of ruffed grouse

Like many similar forest species, ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus; hereafter grouse) populations in the central and southern Appalachians (CSA) are strongly affected by forest composition at the landscape scale. Because these populations are in decline, managers require accurate forest maps to understand how stand level characteristics affect the survival and reproductive potentials of individual birds to design management strategies that improve grouse abundance. However, traditional mapping techniques are often labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive. We used a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from each of 8 Landsat images and the digital elevation model (DEM)-derived variables of elevation and aspect in discriminant analyses to classify 7 study areas to 3 overstory classes (evergreen, hardwoods, and oak) and distinguish evergreen and deciduous understories in the CSA, 2000–2002. Overall accuracy was 82.08%, varying from 83.59% for oak to 79.79% for hardwoods overstories. Periods with large phenological differences among classes, particularly early and late spring, were most useful for discriminating overstory vegetation types. Alternatively, winter NDVI in combination with elevation was critical for differentiating evergreen and deciduous understories. Multitemporal image sets used in concert with DEMs provided a cost-effective alternative to hyperspectral sensors for improving wildlife habitat classification accuracy with Landsat imagery. This allowed for enhanced understanding of grouse-habitat relationships and habitat affects on grouse populations that allowed for improved management. With the incorporation of simple adjustments for local forest plant species phenology into the model, it may be used to better classify wildlife habitat of similar species in areas with comparable forest communities and topography. Multitemporal images can also be used to differentiate grassland communities, monitor wetlands, and serve as baseline data for detecting changes in land use over longer temporal scales, making their use in forest wildlife habitat studies cost-justifiable.