Invasive annual grasses are an enormous threat to western rangelands. Their ability to rapidly outcompete native species along with the ease with which they are spread make them costly and challenging for land managers to control. The objective of this project is to develop mapping methods and products that identify the extent and distribution of priority invasive plant species on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Our lab is working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Billings as well as the Little Big Horn College to collect on the ground data for use in modeling. By combining field surveys with commercial and publicly available imagery, we use machine learning algorithms to predict the extent and distribution of priority species across the ~2.5 million acre study area.  

Predicted distribution maps can then inform BIA personnel in the development of management strategies and can be used to investigate ecological drivers and mechanisms of invasion. We hope to expand our mapping to not only include priority species, but mixes of species in order to establish detection limits with regard to species abundance.