An Investigation of the Influence of Digital Elevation Model Inaccuracies on Terrain-Based Delineation of Drainage Networks

Precise delineation of ephemeral and perennial drainage networks is increasingly important to forest managers seeking to achieve fine-grained linking of ground-based measurements of vegetation and remote sensing data to address issues concerning riparian forest systems. Such issues include economic and ecological impacts of alternative riparian buffer strip configurations, relationships between riparian forest structure and impacts like sediment transport and stream temperature, and linkages between upland and riparian forests and in-channel woody debris. Yet existing maps and digital coverages (e.g., USGS topo quads and DLG files) often contain errors that make them unsuitable for spatial overlay and buffer impact assessment (e.g., assessing the value of buffer strip timber forgone), and yield inconsistent representations of drainage networks.