Detecting changes in the state of reindeer pastures in northernmost Finland, 1995–2005.

ABSTRACTThe state of pastures in the Finnish reindeer management area has been monitored since 1995 using remote sensing and field inventory. The first inventory was made in 1995–1996, updated in the beginning of 2000s and repeated in 2005–2008. By comparing results from 1995–1996 and 2005–2008 we can observe clear changes in forest cover, structure and ground lichen abundance. To evaluate pasture/vegetation changes on the basis of separate classifications we have used a grid approach. By implementing a 500 by 500 m grid network and summarizing pasture classes for every grid cell we can visualize and quantify intensity of change. By comparing 1995–1996 and 2005–2008 we can see a clear decrease in the number of cells classified old growth dominated forest, and also an increase of fragmentation can be detected. With a 7.5 ha threshold the amount of old growth forest was reduced by 5%, for 20 ha the decrease was 21%. This indicates a significant change in forest landscape structure, fragmentation and reduction of reindeer winter pasture value in large areas. Pixel wise comparison showed no substantial changes in pasture areas. There is a degree of uncertainty in change detection; changes in remote sensing instrument, changes in processing software and methodology, changes in field methods and ancillary data, and obviously also bias introduced by differences between analysts. When comparing reindeer lichen biomass between 1995–1996 and 2005–2008 on the basis of field site data, the measured lichen biomass has declined in 19 out of the 20 reindeer management districts. Only one district showed slight improvement, in three districts there was a notable drop in lichen biomass, from over 1500 kg/ha to about 500 kg/ha. Also amount of arboreal lichens declined due to felling of old growth forest, confirming the findings on the grid cell level. Consequently grass, shrub and sapling stands increased as felled areas start to grow graminoids and herbs.

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Gap disturbances and regeneration patterns in a Bosnian old-growth forest: a multispectral remote sensing and ground-based approach

Annals of Forest Science ◽

10.1007/s13595-011-0177-9 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 69 (5) ◽

pp. 617-625 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Matteo Garbarino ◽

Enrico Borgogno Mondino ◽

Emanuele Lingua ◽

Thomas A. Nagel ◽

Vojislav Dukić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Multispectral Remote Sensing

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Deforestation and forest regeneration following small-scale gold mining in the Amazon: the case of Suriname

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892901000121 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 117-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Garry D. Peterson ◽

Marieke Heemskerk

Keyword(s):

Gold Mining ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Gold Rush ◽

Forest Recovery ◽

Small Scale ◽

Old Growth ◽

Mining Sites ◽

Mining Areas ◽

Old Growth Forest

Despite scientific concern about Amazon deforestation and the impacts of the Amazon gold rush, few researchers have assessed the long-term impacts of small-scale gold mining on forest cover. This study estimates deforestation from gold mining and analyses the regeneration of abandoned mining areas in the Suriname Amazon. Fieldwork in December 1998 included observations and ecological measurements, as well as qualitative interviews with local miners about mining history and technology. Vegetation cover of abandoned mining sites of different ages was compared with that in old-growth forest. By present estimates, gold miners clear 48–96 km2 of old-growth forest in Suriname annually. Based on different assumptions about changes in technology and the amount of mining that takes place on previously mined sites, cumulative deforestation is expected to reach 750–2280 km2 by 2010. Furthermore, the analysis of abandoned mining sites suggests that forest recovery following mining is slow and qualitatively inferior compared to regeneration following other land uses. Unlike areas in nearby old-growth forest, large parts of mined areas remain bare ground, grass, and standing water. The area deforested by mining may seem relatively small, but given the slow forest recovery and the concentration of mining in selected areas, small-scale gold mining is expected to reduce local forest cover and ecosystem services in regions where mining takes place.

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Reforestation and Deforestation in Northern Luzon, Philippines: Critical Issues as Observed from Space

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11101071 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1071

Author(s):

Gay Jane Perez ◽

Josefino C. Comiso ◽

Lemnuel V. Aragones ◽

Harry C. Merida ◽

Perry S. Ong

Keyword(s):

Vegetation Cover ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Open Forest ◽

Sierra Madre ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Negative Impacts

Among the richest in biodiversity globally has been the Philippine rainforest, which used to cover about 90% of the country’s land area. During the last few decades, the forest cover has been reduced to less than 10% of the original, only a fraction of which is old-growth forest. The negative impacts of deforestation led to the launching of the National Greening Program (NGP) that involved the planting of more than a billion seedlings over a few million hectares of land from 2011 to 2016. To assess the success of the NGP, satellite data from Landsat and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were analyzed before, during, and after the NGP. Reforestation in the NGP sites was examined concurrently with observed deforestation in Luzon using forest loss data derived from Landsat for the period 2001 to 2018. The results show that losses declined from 2011 to 2015 but increased from 2016 to 2018. Because of such losses, the net effect is a balance of reforestation and deforestation or no significant gain from the NGP. Case studies were done in three sites in the Sierra Madre forest, where half of the remaining old-growth forest is located, using a combination of Landsat and Very High Resolution (VHR) data. The Landsat data were classified into closed forest, open forest, and other vegetation cover types. The conversion from one vegetation cover type to another was evaluated through the use of the Sankey Diagram. While some non-forest types became open or closed forests, the loss of open or closed forests is more pronounced. VHR data reveal critical issues happening within the NGP sites during the NGP period. More comprehensive data from MODIS also confirm that there was no significant increase in the forest cover in Luzon, Sierra Madre, and Cordillera from 2001 to 2018.

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Population density and habitat preferences of the Black-cheeked Ant-tanager Habia atrimaxillaris

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270914000215 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 306-321 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

JESSICA S. CORNILS ◽

ISABELL RIEDL ◽

JULIAN FRICKE ◽

MORITZ KATZ ◽

CHRISTIAN H. SCHULZE

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Population Size ◽

National Park ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Distance Sampling ◽

Old Growth ◽

Lowland Forest ◽

Old Growth Forest

SummaryThe lowland forest on the southern Pacific slope of Costa Rica has an extremely diverse avifauna, including the Black-cheeked Ant-tanager Habia atrimaxillaris. The only known remaining populations of this highly range-restricted species occur in the areas of Piedras Blancas and Corcovado National Park. It is assumed that the population is decreasing due to habitat loss and fragmentation. We assessed the species’ population density in a part of the Piedras Blancas National Park using distance sampling (in February–April 2009 and November 2010–January 2011) and territory mapping (November 2010–January 2011). We also examined habitat preferences based on vegetation structure at point count locations. Black-cheeked Ant-tanagers were exclusively found in old-growth forest. The species’ likelihood of occurrence at census points increased with forest cover (within a radius of 200 m around census points), canopy closure, and density of trees (with diameter at breast height >10 cm). Average population density estimated by distance sampling was 24–27 individuals per km², which is in accordance with the population size estimated by territory mapping (17–25 birds per km²). Based on these estimates, an overall population size of 12,432–20,720 birds is predicted for the remaining 592 km² lowland forest area of the Golfo Dulce region. The Black-cheeked Ant-tanager was only recorded in old-growth forest, but not in gallery forests embedded in a human-dominated landscape matrix. Since the species appears to avoid forest edges, further forest degradation and fragmentation will have a strong negative impact and should be rapidly reduced by adequate conservation measures.

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Die Suche nach altem Wald in der Schweiz

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2015.0067 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 166 (2) ◽

pp. 67-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rita Bütler ◽

Markus Bolliger ◽

Brigitte Commarmot

Keyword(s):

Forest Cover ◽

Dead Wood ◽

Stand Structure ◽

National Forest Inventory ◽

Old Growth ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Natural Processes ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Veteran Trees ◽

Old Growth Forests

The search for old-growth forests in Switzerland Old-growth forests and stands have multiple values, such as biological, scientific, socioeconomic, aesthetic, spiritual and cultural ones, but they are very rare in central Europe. Currently, an overview about the existence and size of old-growth forest patches in Switzerland is missing. We propose a definition for old-growth forests worth preserving based on ten criteria: 1) presence of veteran trees, 2) significant biomass, 3) heterogeneous stand structure including senescent and decaying stages, 4) presence of natural processes and disturbances, 5) high dead wood volume (at least 30 m3/ha) and a large diversity of dimensions and decay stages of dead wood pieces, 6) autochthonous tree species, 7) diverse and natural species assemblages, 8) only extensive or no harvesting for the last 50 years, 9) long continuity of forest cover, 10) minimal area of 30 ha for old-growth forests and 1 ha for old-growth stands. When searching for old-growth forests and stands worth preserving, quantitative criteria from the National Forest Inventory and other sources should also be used. We call on all forest specialists to identify old-growth patches, to inform the population and decision makers about their high value, and to protect them in an adequate manner as a unique natural heritage.

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Continued loss of temperate old-growth forests in the Romanian Carpathians despite an increasing protected area network

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892912000355 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 182-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

JAN KNORN ◽

TOBIAS KUEMMERLE ◽

VOLKER C. RADELOFF ◽

WILLIAM S. KEETON ◽

VLADIMIR GANCZ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Protected Area ◽

Management Practices ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Area Network ◽

Old Growth ◽

Protected Area Network ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Old Growth Forests

SUMMARYOld-growth forests around the world are vanishing rapidly and have been lost almost completely from the European temperate forest region. Poor management practices, often triggered by socioeconomic and institutional change, are the main causes of loss. Recent trends in old-growth forest cover in Romania, where some of the last remaining tracts of these forests within Europe are located, are revealed by satellite image analysis. Forest cover declined by 1.3 % from 2000 to 2010. Romania's protected area network has been expanded substantially since the country's accession to the European Union in 2007, and most of the remaining old-growth forests now are located within protected areas. Surprisingly though, 72% of the old-growth forest disturbances are found within protected areas, highlighting the threats still facing these forests. It appears that logging in old-growth forests is, at least in part, related to institutional reforms, insufficient protection and ownership changes since the collapse of communism in 1989. The majority of harvesting activities in old-growth forest areas are in accordance with the law. Without improvements to their governance, the future of Romania's old-growth forests and the important ecosystem services they provide remains uncertain.

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Mapping soil CO2 efflux in an old-growth forest using regression kriging with estimated fine root biomass as ancillary data

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2011.09.025 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 263 ◽

pp. 101-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Gerald Jurasinski ◽

Albrecht Jordan ◽

Stephan Glatzel

Keyword(s):

Root Biomass ◽

Fine Root ◽

Fine Root Biomass ◽

Soil Co2 Efflux ◽

Co2 Efflux ◽

Regression Kriging ◽

Soil Co2 ◽

Ancillary Data ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forest

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Threatened birds of the Angolan Central Escarpment: distribution and response to habitat change at Kumbira Forest

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605313001415 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 727-734 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Aimy Cáceres ◽

Martim Melo ◽

Jos Barlow ◽

Paulo Cardoso ◽

Francisco Maiato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Cover ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Secondary Growth ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Community ◽

Old Growth ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Old Growth Forest ◽

Remote Sensing Techniques ◽

Representative Area

AbstractKumbira Forest is the best representative area of Angola's Central Escarpment and the only site known to hold significant populations of four of the five threatened endemic bird species of this habitat. However, the forest is disappearing as a result of human activities. Remote-sensing techniques were used to assess changes in forest cover, and bird and habitat surveys were performed to assess the effect of land-use changes on endemic species and the bird community. No relationships could be established between the presence of endemics and habitat and landscape variables. This lack of effect may be attributable to the low number of records and compounded by the mosaic structure of the landscape. Although forest cover has been maintained in Kumbira, old-growth forest has been replaced by secondary growth in many areas. Nevertheless these secondary-growth forest patches can maintain a bird community similar to that found in old-growth forest.

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