2. Problem Statement
Working with Seattle City Light
No GIS data on vegetation and habitat
conditions along the Bothell-Ross transmission lines
exists
Critical areas consist of: wetlands, riparian areas,
and steep slopes
Mapping vegetation patches within critical areas
Best practices on ways to take care of critical
areas are not being adhered to
3.
4.
5. Deliverables
A vegetation database of
dominant species
A statistical summary of
vegetation conditions
A clear and well-documented
methodology, which can be
used for future projects
Maps with Vegetation Polygons
and Photos
6. Methodology
Our Methods can be “broken
down” into three different
categories:
Site selection methods
Field methods
Analysis methods
7. Site Selection Methods
Three types of critical areas
that intersected with the
Bothell-Ross Transmission Line:
Wetlands
Riparian Areas
Steep Slopes
8. Data Gathering
Data provided to us by Seattle City Light included:
Snohomish County Wetlands
National Wetland Inventory (NWI) Wetlands
Bothell-Ross Transmission Lines
Snohomish and Skagit County Riparian Areas
Maintenance data spreadsheet
Other data included:
1/3 arcsec National Dataset DEMs
Snohomish county imagery
9. Vector and Raster Data
Straightforward process for wetlands and riparian
areas
Steep slopes derived from DEMs and converted to
polygons
Population = Areas that intersect the transmission line
30 sites were randomly selected for data collection
11. Preparation
Once we selected our sites we
were ready for the field!
Created two map books using a
strip map and data driven pages:
Road base for navigation to sites
(smaller scale)
Imagery base for field mapping
(larger scale)
Trimble unit provided by Seattle City
Light
12. Field Conditions
Locating sites (maps, driving,
locked gates, and dogs)
Thick brush and deep water
Mapping patches using
Trimble vs. paper imagery
13. Modifications and Preparation for
Analysis
Changing strategy to optimize data
collection
Data clean-up and final
cartography
Digitizing maintenance data
Ready for analysis!
14. Presentation of Results
36 Vegetation Polygons Created
DOM1: Dominant Overstory Species
DOM2: Dominant Understory Species
Landscape: Riparian, Palustrine,
Upland, Mesic
Structure: Emergent, Scrub Shrub,
Deciduous Forest Edge, Grazed, and
Devegetated
Invasive status of dominant species
15. Vegetation Statistics
52.78% of sites have invasive
species as dominant
Most common invasive DOM1 is
Himalayan Blackberry
Most common invasive DOM2 is
Reed Canary Grass
63.9% of sites are Scrub Shrub
16. Management Database
76 Maintenance Orders
33 along Bothell-Skagit transmission
line
22 Polygons near surveyed sties
2011-2014
Some annual and some single time
27 different “work instructions”
Manual clearing, mechanical
clearing, tree trimming, tree
removal, Riparian zone
management, etc.
17. Challenges in the
Management Database
Didn’t receive the data until after field data collection
Don’t know all the tower designations
Non-specific work instructions
Missing data
Don’t know what, if any, maintenance occurred within the
designated vegetation polygons
Mechanical clearing, tree brush, and spraying
Four different crews worked on parts of the line
Unable to run statistical analysis to determine effect of management
on vegetation
18. Management Attribute Table
Fields:
Line segment
Project site number
Work order
Location description
Crew assigned
Specific work instructions
Data completed
Data Verified
Verified by
Corrective action needed
21. Vegetation Information
Area Type Wetland
DOM 1 Hard Hack
DOM 2 Reed Canary Grass
Landscape Palustrine
Vegetated
Structure
Scrub Shrub
22. Vegetation Information
Area Type Wetland (Incorrect
Data)
DOM 1 Pacific Willow
DOM 2 Rye Grass
Landscape Upland
Vegetated
Structure
Herbacious
23. Vegetation Information
Area Type Riparian
DOM 1 Sitka Willow
DOM 2 Reed Canary Grass
Landscape Palustrine
Vegetated
Structure
Scrub Shrub
24. Vegetation Information
Area Type Steep Slope
DOM 1 Himalayan
Blackberry
DOM 2 N/A
(Even spread of
variety)
Landscape Upland
Vegetated
Structure
Scrub Shrub
25. Vegetation Information
Area Type Riparian
DOM 1 Pacific Willow
DOM 2 Reed Canary Grass
Landscape Riparian
Vegetated
Structure
Deciduous Forest
Edge
26. Vegetation Information
Area Type Riparian
DOM 1 Big Leaf Maple
DOM 2 Lady Fern
Landscape Riparian
Vegetated
Structure
Deciduous Forest
Edge
27. Vegetation Information
Area Type Steep Slope
DOM 1 Western Hemlock
DOM 2 Bracken Fern
Landscape Upland
Vegetated
Structure
Scrub Shrub
28. Recommendations for the Future
and Lessons Learned
Improvements to Methods for Project Continuation
Purpose: improve methods for full-scale study
Develop better metrics (categorical vs. interval data)
Small steep slopes vs. large steep slopes
Comparison of conditions on and off the transmission
line
29. Recommendations for the Future
and Lessons Learned
Learning to use ArcGIS
Real data, real problems, real
applications
Learned to use tools and
processes not covered in class
VERY familiar with ArcGIS online
help
30. Recommendations for the Future
and Lessons Learned
Planning pays off
Early stages of the project were well planned…they went
smoothly!
Later stages of the project were not so well planned…there
were more issues.
31. Recommendations for the Future
and Lessons Learned
No matter how much you plan, you can’t
anticipate everything
Site access issues
Wetland data not accurate
Field conditions
Time constraints
Must be flexible, adaptable, and ready to
change your plan
32. Recommendations for the Future
and Lessons Learned
Acknowledgements
A HUGE thank you to our project sponsors at Seattle
City Light, Rory Denovan and Ciaran McGee – we
couldn’t have done this project without their help.
Another big thanks to all the program instructors for
all their advice, help, and feedback.
Thanks for a great quarter and a great program!
Understanding current vegetation and habitat conditions in critical areas along the Bothell-Ross transmission line between Bothell and the Sauk River
Seattle City Light is a national leader in environmental stewardship, including vegetation management along transmission lines.
Whole transmission line goes from Bothell Sub Station to Ross Dam
We did from Bothell sub station to Sauk River
These are transmission towers
26 different sites
A vegetation database of documented species to help guide future vegetation management practices/prioritize restoration projects
This data can help Seattle City Light and others with the relicensing process and initiate full-scale vegetation mapping projects
Vegetation and habitat data could inform Seattle City Light about impacts of vegetation management practices
the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project relicensing process
PLEASE REDUCE TEXT!!!
Weren’t able to factor in maintenance data with site selection
Only know those closest to our survey sites
Proceed in a fairly logical progression, so I guessed where some started/ended
b15/35
27 separate instructions
Too many variables and not enough data
Cut out 7 Fields of 17, New Table has 10 Fields
Worked on in Excel, once completed joined with Polygon file
Map 15- May 10th
This area looks like it was sprayed, has a large dead area
Map 3-April 12th
Map 6-April 18th
Map 7-April 18th
Map 8-April 18th
Map 11-May 10th
Map 14-May 9th
NOT SURE IF THIS IS STEEP SLOPE OR RIPARIAN
Map 17-May 10th
Purpose of pilot project is to improve methods for full-scale study
Small Steep slopes ON the transmission are less of a concern than large steep slopes NEAR the transmission line (insert images of slope creep vs. Oso Slide)
Steep slopes better addressed with a landslide hazard study
Side-by-side comparison of conditions on and off the transmission line, or having a control area, would help provide context of site disturbance
