Jocko Prairie -- Change Detection Assessment

Aerial photos of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes forested landscape provide an opportunity to assess changes to the Jocko Prairie region of their Reservation. In this study, historical aerial photos from 1962, 1988, 2005 and 2013 are used to quantify changes throughout time. Utilizing spatial analyst, an iso-cluster, unsupervised classification method was used to determine percentages of landscape change, from one time period to the next. Change detection work is an important tool in assessing current management goals and objectives in comparison to past management practices. Within this study, we wanted to assess changes on the landscape and determine if these changes were influenced by policy at the federal, state or tribal level and; if these changes disrupted the cultural and traditional use practices for their tribal members. Policy greatly influences management activities and that is evident in this prairie system. This study is one chapter in the Forest History of the Jocko Landscape.