scholarly journals Understanding Current and Future Fragmentation Dynamics of Urban Forest Cover in the Nanjing Laoshan Region of Jiangsu, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Shen ◽  
Xupeng Mao ◽  
Jiaying He ◽  
Jinwei Dong ◽  
Chengquan Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Markov Model ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Forest Interior ◽  
Land Cover Maps

Accurate acquisition of the spatiotemporal distribution of urban forests and fragmentation (e.g., interior and intact regions) is of great significance to contributing to the mitigation of climate change and the conservation of habitat biodiversity. However, the spatiotemporal pattern of urban forest cover changes related with the dynamics of interior and intact forests from the present to the future have rarely been characterized. We investigated fragmentation of urban forest cover using satellite observations and simulation models in the Nanjing Laoshan Region of Jiangbei New Area, Jiangsu, China, during 2002–2023. Object-oriented classification-based land cover maps were created to simulate land cover changes using the cellular automation-Markov chain (CA-Markov) model and the state transition simulation modeling. We then quantified the forest cover change by the morphological change detection algorithm and estimated the forest area density-based fragmentation patterns. Their relationships were built through the spatial analysis and statistical methods. Results showed that the overall accuracies of actual land cover maps were approximately 83.75–92.25% (2012–2017). The usefulness of a CA-Markov model for simulating land cover maps was demonstrated. The greatest proportion of forest with a low level of fragmentation was captured along with the decreasing percentage of fragmented area from 81.1% to 64.1% based on high spatial resolution data with the window size of 27 pixels × 27 pixels. The greatest increase in fragmentation (3% from 2016 to 2023) among the changes between intact and fragmented forest was reported. However, intact forest was modeled to have recovered in 2023 and restored to 2002 fragmentation levels. Moreover, we found 58.07 km2 and 0.35 km2 of interior and intact forests have been removed from forest area losses and added from forest area gains. The loss rate of forest interior and intact area exceeded the rate of total forest area loss. However, their approximate ratio (1) implying the loss of forest interior and intact area would have slight fragmentation effects on the remaining forests. This analysis illustrates the achievement of protecting and restoring forest interior; more importantly, excessive human activities in the surrounding area had been avoided. This study provides strategies for future forest conservation and management in large urban regions.

scholarly journals Forest cover monitoring of Bara district (Nepal) using remote sensing and geographic information systems

1970 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
CM Kandel ◽  
M Caetano ◽  
P Cabral
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Spatial Metrics ◽  
Land Cover Maps

This study uses Landsat TM of 1989 and ETM+ of 1999 and 2005 imagery to evaluateforest cover dynamics during 1989-2005 in the Bara district of Nepal. The aim of thestudy was to analyse the extent and trend of forest cover dynamics, spatial pattern offorest and their driving forces. Forest cover change analysis was performed using objectorientedclassification approach applying a standard nearest neighbour algorithm to classifythe image in recognition. The overall classification accuracies were 85.71% and 88.23%for the year 1999 and 2005, respectively. Land cover maps were produced with sevenland cover categories and were further reclassified as forest and non-forest areas toanalyse the forest cover dynamics. Post-classification and time series analysis were carriedout to detect the changes. Spatial metrics were computed for detecting the spatial patternof forest. The classifications suggested that the amount of forest land had decreased by11.56% during 1989-2005. Spatial metrics revealed that forest area has been fragmentedand deforested with an annual rate of 0.72%. The overall result demonstrates that forestarea has experienced a significant shrinkage and mostly transferred into agricultural andbare land. Expected change for the year 2021 was projected using Markov Chain Analysis(MCA). The MCA result showed that forest area would decrease by 8.5% in the period of2005-2021.Key words: Forest cover dynamics; geographical information systems; landsat; remotesensing; spatial metricsDOI: 10.3126/banko.v20i1.3506Banko Janakari, Vol. 20, No. 1 pp.30-36

scholarly journals Processes of Forest Cover Change since 1958 in the Coffee-Producing Areas of Southwest Ethiopia

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Tola Gemechu Ango ◽  
Kristoffer Hylander ◽  
Lowe Börjeson
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Forest Sites

We investigated the spatial relations of ecological and social processes to point at how state policies, population density, migration dynamics, topography, and socio-economic values of ‘forest coffee’ together shaped forest cover changes since 1958 in southwest Ethiopia. We used data from aerial photos, Landsat images, digital elevation models, participatory field mapping, interviews, and population censuses. We analyzed population, land cover, and topographic roughness (slope) data at the ‘sub-district’ level, based on a classification of the 30 lowest administrative units of one district into the coffee forest area (n = 17), and highland forest area (n = 13). For state forest sites (n = 6) of the district, we evaluated land cover and slope data. Forest cover declined by 25% between 1973 and 2010, but the changes varied spatially and temporally. Losses of forest cover were significantly higher in highland areas (74%) as compared to coffee areas (14%) and state forest sites (2%), and lower in areas with steeper slopes both in coffee and highland areas. Both in coffee and highland areas, forest cover also declined during 1958–1973. People moved to and converted forests in relatively low population density areas. Altitudinal migration from coffee areas to highland areas contributed to deforestation displacement due to forest maintenance for shade coffee production in coffee areas and forest conversions for annual crop production in highland areas. The most rapid loss of forest cover occurred during 1973–1985, followed by 2001–2010, which overlapped with the implementations of major land and forest policies that created conditions for more deforestation. Our findings highlight how crop ecology and migration have shaped spatial variations of forest cover change across different altitudinal zones whilst development, land, and forest policies and programs have driven the temporal variations of deforestation. Understanding the mechanisms of deforestation and forest maintenance simultaneously and their linkages is necessary for better biodiversity conservation and forest landscape management.

scholarly journals Qualifying Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics and Their Impacts on Ecosystem Service in Central Himalaya Transboundary Landscape Based on Google Earth Engine

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Changjun Gu ◽  
Yili Zhang ◽  
Linshan Liu ◽  
Lanhui Li ◽  
Shicheng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Sacred Landscape ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
Google Earth Engine

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes are regarded as one of the key drivers of ecosystem services degradation, especially in mountain regions where they may provide various ecosystem services to local livelihoods and surrounding areas. Additionally, ecosystems and habitats extend across political boundaries, causing more difficulties for ecosystem conservation. LULC in the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) has undergone obvious changes over the past four decades; however, the spatiotemporal changes of the LULC across the whole of the KSL are still unclear, as well as the effects of LULC changes on ecosystem service values (ESVs). Thus, in this study we analyzed LULC changes across the whole of the KSL between 2000 and 2015 using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and quantified their impacts on ESVs. The greatest loss in LULC was found in forest cover, which decreased from 5443.20 km2 in 2000 to 5003.37 km2 in 2015 and which mainly occurred in KSL-Nepal. Meanwhile, the largest growth was observed in grassland (increased by 548.46 km2), followed by cropland (increased by 346.90 km2), both of which mainly occurred in KSL-Nepal. Further analysis showed that the expansions of cropland were the major drivers of the forest cover change in the KSL. Furthermore, the conversion of cropland to shrub land indicated that farmland abandonment existed in the KSL during the study period. The observed forest degradation directly influenced the ESV changes in the KSL. The total ESVs in the KSL decreased from 36.53 × 108 USD y−1 in 2000 to 35.35 × 108 USD y−1 in 2015. Meanwhile, the ESVs of the forestry areas decreased by 1.34 × 108 USD y−1. This shows that the decrease of ESVs in forestry was the primary cause to the loss of total ESVs and also of the high elasticity. Our findings show that even small changes to the LULC, especially in forestry areas, are noteworthy as they could induce a strong ESV response.

scholarly journals The impact of forest regeneration on streamflow in 12 mesoscale humid tropical catchments

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2613-2635 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Beck ◽  
L. A. Bruijnzeel ◽  
A. I. J. M. van Dijk ◽  
T. R. McVicar ◽  
F. N. Scatena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Annual Time Series ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Annual Time

Abstract. Although regenerating forests make up an increasingly large portion of humid tropical landscapes, little is known of their water use and effects on streamflow (Q). Since the 1950s the island of Puerto Rico has experienced widespread abandonment of pastures and agricultural lands, followed by forest regeneration. This paper examines the possible impacts of these secondary forests on several Q characteristics for 12 mesoscale catchments (23–346 km2; mean precipitation 1720–3422 mm yr−1) with long (33–51 yr) and simultaneous records for Q, precipitation (P), potential evaporation (PET), and land cover. A simple spatially-lumped, conceptual rainfall–runoff model that uses daily P and PET time series as inputs (HBV-light) was used to simulate Q for each catchment. Annual time series of observed and simulated values of four Q characteristics were calculated. A least-squares trend was fitted through annual time series of the residual difference between observed and simulated time series of each Q characteristic. From this the total cumulative change (Â) was calculated, representing the change in each Q characteristic after controlling for climate variability and water storage carry-over effects between years. Negative values of  were found for most catchments and Q characteristics, suggesting enhanced actual evaporation overall following forest regeneration. However, correlations between changes in urban or forest area and values of  were insignificant (p ≥ 0.389) for all Q characteristics. This suggests there is no convincing evidence that changes in the chosen Q characteristics in these Puerto Rican catchments can be ascribed to changes in urban or forest area. The present results are in line with previous studies of meso- and macro-scale (sub-)tropical catchments, which generally found no significant change in Q that can be attributed to changes in forest cover. Possible explanations for the lack of a clear signal may include errors in the land cover, climate, Q, and/or catchment boundary data; changes in forest area occurring mainly in the less rainy lowlands; and heterogeneity in catchment response. Different results were obtained for different catchments, and using a smaller subset of catchments could have led to very different conclusions. This highlights the importance of including multiple catchments in land-cover impact analysis at the mesoscale.

Simulating forest cover change in the northeastern U.S.: decreasing forest area and increasing fragmentation

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 2401-2419
Author(s):  
Alison B. Adams ◽  
Jennifer Pontius ◽  
Gillian Galford ◽  
David Gudex-Cross
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Forest Cover Change

scholarly journals Multitemporal Analysis Using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) Bands for Forest Cover Classification in East Texas

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Jason C. Raines ◽  
Jason Grogan ◽  
I-Kuai Hung ◽  
James Kroll
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Classification Accuracy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Thematic Mapper ◽  
Landsat Thematic Mapper ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Land Cover Maps ◽  
Band Combinations

Abstract Land cover maps have been produced using satellite imagery to monitor forest resources since the launch of Landsat 1. Research has shown that stacking leaf-on and leaf-off imagery (combining two separate images into one image for processing) may improve classification accuracy. It is assumed that the combination of data will aid in differentiation between forest types. In this study we explored potential benefits of using multidate imagery versus single-date imagery for operational forest cover classification as part of an annual remote sensing forest inventory system. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery was used to classify land cover into four classes. Six band combinations were tested to determine differences in classification accuracy and if any were significant enough to justify the extra cost and increased difficulty of image acquisition. The effects of inclusion/exclusion of the moisture band (TM band 5) also were examined. Results show overall accuracy ranged from 72 to 79% with no significant difference between single and multidate classifications. We feel the minimal increase (3.06%) in overall accuracy, coupled with the operational difficulties of obtaining multiple (two), useable images per year, does not support the use of multidate stacked imagery. Additional research should focus on fully utilizing data from a single scene by improving classification methodologies.

scholarly journals A comparison of forest resource inventory, provincial land cover maps and field surveys for wildlife habitat analysis in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Maxie ◽  
Karen F. Hussey ◽  
Stacey J. Lowe ◽  
Kevin R. Middel ◽  
Bruce A. Pond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Forest Resource ◽  
Habitat Analysis ◽  
Resource Inventory ◽  
Forest Resource Inventory ◽  
Land Cover Maps ◽  
Forest Cover Types

In a portion of central Ontario, Canada we assessed the classification agreement between field-based estimates of forest stand composition and each of two mapped data sources used in wildlife habitat studies, the Forest Resource Inventory (FRI) and satellite-image derived Provincial Land Cover (PLC). At two study areas, Algonquin Provincial Park (APP) and Wildlife Management Unit 49 (WMU49), we surveyed 119 forest stands and 40 water and wetland stands. Correspondence levels between FRI and field classifications were 48% in APP and 44% in WMU49 when assessing six forest cover types. With only four simplified forest cover types, levels improved to 77% in APP and 63% in WMU49. Correspondence between PLC and field classifications for three forested stand types was approximately 63% in APP and 55% in WMU49. Because of the poor to moderate level of correspondence we detected between map and field classifications, we recommend that care be exercised when FRI or PLC maps are used in forest and wildlife research and management planning. Key words: forest resource inventory, FRI, provincial land cover, PLC, Landsat Thematic Mapper, map accuracy, map correspondence, map agreement, Ontario, wildlife habitat

scholarly journals Motif: an open-source R tool for pattern-based spatial analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Nowosad
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
R Package ◽  
Growth Monitoring ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Land Cover Data ◽  
Wide Range

*Context* Pattern-based spatial analysis provides methods to describe and quantitatively compare spatial patterns for categorical raster datasets. It allows for spatial search, change detection, and clustering of areas with similar patterns. *Objectives* We developed an R package **motif** as a set of open-source tools for pattern-based spatial analysis. *Methods* This package provides most of the functionality of existing software (except spatial segmentation), but also extends the existing ideas through support for multi-layer raster datasets. It accepts larger-than-RAM datasets and works across all of the major operating systems. *Results* In this study, we describe the software design of the tool, its capabilities, and present four case studies. They include calculation of spatial signatures based on land cover data for regular and irregular areas, search for regions with similar patterns of geomorphons, detection of changes in land cover patterns, and clustering of areas with similar spatial patterns of land cover and landforms. *Conclusions* The methods implemented in **motif** should be useful in a wide range of applications, including land management, sustainable development, environmental protection, forest cover change and urban growth monitoring, and agriculture expansion studies. The **motif** package homepage is https://nowosad.github.io/motif.

scholarly journals Drivers and dynamics of land use land cover in Ambung VDC of Tehrathum district, Nepal

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Pandey ◽  
B P Heyojoo ◽  
H Shahi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
Training Samples ◽  
Land Cover Maps

Land use and land cover change has immense impact on the global environment and ecosystem. Geospatial technologies are very important for monitoring these changes. This research aims to find out the land use land cover dynamics and drivers of Ambung VDC, Tehrathum district. The Landsat images of the year 1990 and 2013 were used for quantifying the changes. Household survey, key informant interview, focus group discussion, training samples collection and direct field observations were carried out to gather socio-economic and bio-physical data. Supervised classification was performed to prepare land cover maps. Change on land use was calculated by using post classification change detection. During 1990–2013, forest cover was found to have increased by 6.6%, agriculture decreased by 5.9% and others (barren, settlement, grass, rock and water bodies) decreased by 0.7%. The VDC was found to have severe problem of rapid drying of water resources in spite of the increase in forest cover, and so research should be carried out to find out the reason and solve the problem before it is too late.Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for NepalVol. 26, No. 1, Page:90-96, 2016

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