scholarly journals Land use simulation model of the subalpine coniferous forest zone /

1975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles F. Leaf ◽  
Glen E. Brink
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Simulation Model ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Subalpine Coniferous Forest

Vegetation Effects on Soil Properties in the Monteagle Sandy Loam Series: Implications for Land‐use Change

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Neil
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
The Impact

Soil properties are strongly influenced by the composition of the surrounding vegetation. We investigated soil properties of three ecosystems; a coniferous forest, a deciduous forest and an agricultural grassland, to determine the impact of land use change on soil properties. Disturbances such as deforestation followed by cultivation can severely alter soil properties, including losses of soil carbon. We collected nine 40 cm cores from three ecosystem types on the Roebuck Farm, north of Perth Village, Ontario, Canada. Dominant species in each ecosystem included hemlock and white pine in the coniferous forest; sugar maple, birch and beech in the deciduous forest; grasses, legumes and herbs in the grassland. Soil pH varied little between the three ecosystems and over depth. Soils under grassland vegetation had the highest bulk density, especially near the surface. The forest sites showed higher cation exchange capacity and soil moisture than the grassland; these differences largely resulted from higher organic matter levels in the surface forest soils. Vertical distribution of organic matter varied greatly amongst the three ecosystems. In the forest, more of the organic matter was located near the surface, while in the grassland organic matter concentrations varied little with depth. The results suggest that changes in land cover and land use alters litter inputs and nutrient cycling rates, modifying soil physical and chemical properties. Our results further suggest that conversion of forest into agricultural land in this area can lead to a decline in soil carbon storage.

Multi-agent system simulation for urban policy design: open space land use change problem

2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 1642002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Buil ◽  
Miquel Angel Piera ◽  
Egils Ginters
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Simulation Model ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Open Space ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Multi Agent System ◽  
Agent System ◽  
Multi Agent

Multi-agent system (MAS) models have been increasingly applied to the simulation of complex phenomena in different areas, providing successful and credible results. Citizens behavior related to a specific urban activity (i.e., recreation activities in a park, using bicycle for mobility purposes) can be modeled as an agent (actor) with several affinities and preferences which are dependent on aspects that affect the activity. A particular application of a MAS approach is in area of urban policy design, in which policies should be designed considering citizens needs, preferences and behavior. Once an open space in a city is available (i.e., an industry is moved to an industrial area), a land use policy should contribute to identify the new use for the urban space. There are different land use policies that can be applied depending on which services or facilities must be empowered in the city. It is important to identify the correct policy in order to satisfy present citizens needs but considering also the future needs in a social changing context. A socio-technological simulation model has been developed to allow citizens to get a better understanding of the urban problem, its dynamics and explore the sustainability of the different solutions., enhancing citizens to participate in the urban decisions through new technologies (i.e., e-participation). This paper illustrates an open space MAS simulation model for land use design policies in which citizens can check their opinion and get a better understanding of the different choices and its acceptability by the community considering not only present neighborhood profiles, but also future neighborhood configurations. It is the first step before the development of the final software including a user friendly interface to let citizens with different cultural profiles to perform simulations as an essential and neutral tool to reach consensus during the decision-making process in urban policy design.

scholarly journals Vegetation changes in boreo–nemoral forest stands depending on soil factors and past land use during an 80 year period of no human impact

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilze Kokarēviča ◽  
Guntis Brūmelis ◽  
Raimonds Kasparinskis ◽  
Arta Rolava ◽  
Oļģerts Nikodemus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Soil Factors ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Forest Zone

Information on the long-term changes in plant communities that occur without human interference is limited, due to insufficient studies where vegetation can be resurveyed. In 1912, a strict nature protection reserve, with non-intervention management, was established on Moricsala Island in Latvia, located in the boreo–nemoral forest zone. Prior to establishment of the nature reserve, part of the island area was used for agriculture. The island is now covered almost entirely by forest dominated by Quercus robur L. and Tilia cordata Mill. on sandy soils. Resurvey was conducted in 2011 in 17 plots in which tree layers and the understory vegetation had been described in 1930. The plots were classified into two groups based on tree species composition in 1930 to determine changes in species composition. Differences in understory and tree canopy composition between these groups persisted over the period between the studies, in relation to soil factors and past stand history. Considerable turnover of species occurred, with a decrease of species typical of open habitats and replacement by species typical of nemoral (temperate deciduous) forest plant communities. In the past, Q. robur had likely established in open habitats created by agricultural land use or past fire but is presently not regenerating in the understory.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document