Invasive Plant Mapping

The Invasive Spartina Project uses aerial photography and GIS to monitor treatment of cordgrass in San Francisco Bay.

Mapping invasive plant populations is critical for strategic management and monitoring. It is also essential for effective early detection. Knowing where a plant currently grows is the foundation for knowing where to survey for new occurrences.

Statewide Risk Mapping

Our risk mapping combines statewide distribution of a given species with suitability modeling for that species to show where the plant is most likely to spread. In 2010 and 2011, Cal-IPC is undertaking a statewide invasive plant mapping initiative, working with local land managers to develop detailed presence/absence maps of each species based on expert opinion. These maps will increase the resolution of our risk mapping. We are also working with collaborating organizations to collect GIS datasets of local invasive plant mapping. All of this data collection is being coordinated with emerging regional and national systems. Maps for 200 species can be accessed from our risk mapping page.

Arundo Mapping

In 2007, Cal-IPC began mapping Arundo donax (giant reed) in coastal watersheds from the Monterey Bay area south to the Mexican border. Arundo has a major impact on these watersheds, and the state has undertaken extensive removal efforts along the Santa Ana River. These detailed maps provide land managers in the region with information they need to plan similar projects. In addition, the project endeavors to quantify impacts on these watersheds by combining impact metrics with spatial extent. Maps and GIS data can be accessed from our Arundo mapping page.

Mapping Resources

California Weed Mapping Handbook - Contains background on mapping strategies, and data standards adapted from national standards developed by the National Association of Weed Management Areas.

GeoWeed - Mapping database system for GPS/GIS integration maintained by the Sonoma Ecology Center.

Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN) - Collaborative regional effort to identify and treat high-priority early detection targets.

California Dept. of Fish & Game's BIOS - Statewide database and mapper for a range of biological data.

iMap Invasives - Project to create a national network of invasive species GIS.

EDDMapS - Project to support early detection mapping nationwide.

The California Spatial Information Library (CASIL) - The first place to look for California GIS layers.

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