The hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive non-native insect, is threatening eastern hemlock in Kentucky. This study examined three techniques to map the distribution of eastern hemlock using decision trees, remote sensing, and species distribution modeling. Accuracy assessments showed that eastern hemlock was best modeled using a decision tree without incorporating satellite radiance. Using the distribution from the optimal model, risk maps for susceptibility to hemlock woolly adelgid infestation were created using two species distribution models. Environmental variables related to dispersal were used to build the models and their contributions to the models assessed. The models showed similar spatial distributions of eastern hemlock at high risk of infestation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uky.edu/oai:uknowledge.uky.edu:gradschool_theses-1000 |
| Date | 01 January 2010 |
| Creators | Clark, Joshua Taylor |
| Publisher | UKnowledge |
| Source Sets | University of Kentucky |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of Kentucky Master's Theses |
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