Objective 1 Develop and validate a modeling tool for detecting and predicting invasive plant infestations using GIS, GPS, and remote sensing data Identifying areas with existing weed infestations is important to land managers and stewards. These areas can then be targeted for control treatments in accordance with accepted best management practices. Predicting areas most at risk to future invasion is perhaps more precarious, but accurate prediction (using models derived from past research results and existing invasion sites) is an extremely powerful tool for land managers and stewards. Severe infestations (>70% across large areas) have already reduced grazing/foraging capacity and altered nutrient cycles. Such infestations require land managers/stewards to manage by crisis and simply react to the problem. Accurate prediction of sites most susceptible to invasion will allow land managers/stewards to institute best management practices, alter existing land use/grazing systems, and act proactively before a serious crisis develops.

Objective 2 Adapt various indicators of rangeland health to evaluation through the application of geotechnologies This objective builds upon other studies completed or being completed at the GIS TReC as well as the results of rangeland research conducted elsewhere. Using guidelines established by USDI and USDA (Pellant et al. 2000) we will evaluate the following indicators; 1) Bare ground (the amount and distribution of exposed mineral or organic soil that is susceptible to erosion due to raindrop splash, 2) presence and proportion of various functional/structural groups (the proportion and distribution of tall shrubs (e.g., sagebrush), half shrubs (e.g., broom snakeweed), warm season grasses (e.g., red three-awn), cool-season short bunchgrasses (e.g., sandberg bluegrass), cool-season mid-grasses (e.g., squirreltail), perennial forbs (both Nitrogen fixing (e.g., lupine) and non-Nitrogen fixing (e.g., phlox), and biological crust (e.g., mosses and lichens), 3) plant decadence (the ratio of dead or decadent plants to young/mature plants), 4) litter amount (dead plant material in contact with the earth's surface), and 5) invasive plants (the presence and degree of infestation of non-native plants). We will use Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery, high-spatial resolution multi-spectral imagery (either IKONOS, Orbview, Quickbird, and/or ADAR imagery), SSURGO and STATSGO GIS datasets, and field samples to estimate the amount of bare ground in the study area. Field sample design will be carefully determined during a "workshop" with the PI for this objective (Keith T. Weber), Idaho State University's consulting statistician, and the consulting experts involved with this project.

Objective 3 Remote Sensing of Aeolian Transport on the Snake River Plain, Idaho This objective will utilize and evaluate the ability of remote sensing systems to quantify and help predict aeolian transport after wildfires in a study area on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) site in the Snake River Plain (SRP) of southeastern Idaho. Objective three goals are to 1) quantify the amount of sediment flux from aeolian transport in the study area; 2) compare rates and amounts of this flux between vegetated and non-vegetated (due to wildfires) sites; 3) predict the amount of vegetation required to reduce sediment transport to desired values; and 4) assess the ability of LIDAR and high-resolution multispectral remote sensing to determine surficial changes from aeolian transport. This objective is extremely important for land and natural resource management and specifically for rangeland grazing and agriculture in southeastern Idaho. Sediment transport can result in a net loss or gain of soil and varying nutrient availability (Belnap et al., 2000). A net loss in nutrient availability can affect regrowth rates of native vegetation (e.g. sagebrush) after wildfires and resultantly impact sage grouse populations and the habitat of other wildlife species. Of particular interest is that wind erosion/deposition can influence the distribution and increase the rate of spread of invasive species by transporting seeds within the wind-blown sediment. This objective will 1) quantify the amount of seeds that are transported by sediment flux (through field studies of collected sediment) and 2) aid in our understanding of the temporal aspects related to when seeds are transported.

Objective 4 Using GIS to investigate the effects of land use/disturbance history on site invasibility Invasions of exotic plants into semi-arid rangelands have resulted in substantial environmental and economic damage (Pimentel et al. 2000). Many of the most persistent and destructive weeds continue to spread rapidly across broad geographical regions despite substantial eradication efforts. This objective seeks to be able to identify better, proactive control methods by understanding biological and ecological factors that lead to plant invasions. Site factors that lead to greater risk of invasion by introduced plants will be examined to address the question: How and why does the land use and disturbance history of a site influence its invasibility by introduced plants? These questions will be addressed using correlations of invasion and site factors following fire and grazing will be complemented by a field experiment that will elucidate mechanisms by which these disturbances influence invasions.