This study examines the spatial and temporal forest cover changes in Swat and Shangla districts to understand the deforestation pattern in context of the recent security conflict in these districts. We used multi-reso...This study examines the spatial and temporal forest cover changes in Swat and Shangla districts to understand the deforestation pattern in context of the recent security conflict in these districts. We used multi-resolution satellite images to assess the long term deforestation from 2001 to 2009 and also to identify episodic forest cutting areas appeared during the conflict period of Oct. 2007 - Oct. 2008. There are only 58 ha of deforestation identified during the conflict period while 1268 ha of gross annual deforestation were assessed during last eight years. Most of the deforestation patches persist around the administrative boundaries at sub-district levels (tehsils) which can be attributed to ambiguity in unclear jurisdiction between the forest official. The results highlight that the forest cutting appeared in Swat and Shangla during the conflict period is not as significant when compared with the long term deforestation pattern in the area. On the one side the results of the study are supportive to the picture that emerges from international studies which report high rate of deforestation in the country and on the other side it negates any relation between the security situation and the increasing deforestation in the north western Pakistan. The study concludes that deforestation assessments require verification by independent sources of data, such as satellite imagery to improve our understanding of deforestation processes.展开更多
Long-term observation of the earth is essential for studying the factors affecting global environmental changes.Digital earth technology can facilitate the monitoring of global environmental change with its ability to...Long-term observation of the earth is essential for studying the factors affecting global environmental changes.Digital earth technology can facilitate the monitoring of global environmental change with its ability to process vast amounts of information.In this study,we map the forest cover change of Myanmar from 2000 to 2005 using a training data automation procedure and support vector machines algorithm.Our results show that Myanmar’s forests have declined 0.68%annually over this six-year period.We validated our derived change results and found the overall accuracy to be greater than 88%.We also assessed forest loss from protected areas,areas close to roads,and areas subject to fire,which were most likely to lose forested area.The results revealed the main reasons for forest losses in some hotspots to be increased agricultural conversion,fire,and the construction of highways.This information is useful for identifying the driving forces behind forest changes and to support environmental policy development in Myanmar.展开更多
We mapped the forest cover of Khadimnagar National Park （KNP） of Sylhet Forest Division and estimated forest change over a period of 22 years （1988-2010） using Landsat TM images and other GIS data. Supervised clas...We mapped the forest cover of Khadimnagar National Park （KNP） of Sylhet Forest Division and estimated forest change over a period of 22 years （1988-2010） using Landsat TM images and other GIS data. Supervised classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） image classification approaches were applied to the images to produce three cover classes, viz. dense forest, medium dense forest, and bare land. The change map was produced by differencing classified imageries of 1988 and 2010 as before image and after image, respectively, in ERDAS IMAGINE. Error matrix and kappa statistics were used to assess the accuracy of the produced maps. Overall map accuracies resulting from supervised classification of 1988 and 2010 imageries were 84.6% （Kappa 0.75） and 87.5% （Kappa 0.80）, respec- tively. Forest cover statistics resulting from supervised classification showed that dense forest and bare land declined from 526 ha （67%） to 417 ha （59%） and 105 ha （13%） to 8 ha （1%）, respectively, whereas medium dense forest increased from 155 ha （20%） to 317 ha （40%）. Forest cover change statistics derived from NDVI classification showed that dense forest declined from 525 ha （67%） to 421 ha （54%） while medium dense forest increased from 253 ha （32%） to 356 ha （45%）. Both supervised and NDVI classification approaches showed similar trends of forest change, i.e. decrease of dense forest and increase of medium dense forest, which indicates dense forest has been converted to medium dense forest. Area of bare land was unchanged. Illicit felling, encroachment, and settlement near forests caused the dense forest decline while short and long rotation plantations raised in various years caused the increase in area of medium dense forest. Protective measures should be undertaken to check further degradation of forest at KNP.展开更多
Climate is a critical factor affecting forest ecosystems and their capacity to produce goods and services. Effects of climate change on forests depend on ecosystem-specific factors including dimensions of climate （te...Climate is a critical factor affecting forest ecosystems and their capacity to produce goods and services. Effects of climate change on forests depend on ecosystem-specific factors including dimensions of climate （temperature, precipitation, drought, wind etc.）. Available infor- mation is not sufficient to support a quantitative assessment of the eco- logical, social and economic consequences. The present study assessed shifts in forest cover types of Western Himalayan Eco-region （700-4 500 m）. 100 randomly selected samples （75 for training and 25 for testing the model）, genetic algorithm of rule set parameters and climatic envelopes were used to assess the distribution of five prominent forest cover types （Temperate evergreen, Tropical semi-evergreen, Temperate conifer, Sub- tropical conifer, and Tropical moist deciduous forests）. Modelling was conducted for four different scenarios, current scenario, changed precipi- tation （8% increase）, changed temperature （1.07℃ increase）, and both changed temperature and precipitation. On increasing precipitation a downward shift in the temperate evergreen and tropical semi-evergreen was observed, while sub-tropical conifer and tropical moist-deciduous forests showed a slight upward shift and temperate conifer showed ＇no shift. On increasing temperatm＇e, an upward shift in all forest types was observed except sub-tropical conifer forests without significant changes. When both temperature and precipitation were changed, the actual dis- tribution was maintained and slight upward shift was observed in all the forest types except sub-tropical conifer. It is important to understand the likely impacts of the projected climate change on the forest ecosystems, so that better management and conservation strategies can be adopted for the biodiversity and forest dependent community. Knowledge of impact mechanisms also enables identification and mitigation of some of the conditions that increase vulnerability to climate change in the forest sector.展开更多
Forest cover change in the mountainous region is driven by a variety of anthropogenic and natural factors.The Hindu Kush-Himalayan Mountains has experienced a considerable vegetation cover change due to intensive huma...Forest cover change in the mountainous region is driven by a variety of anthropogenic and natural factors.The Hindu Kush-Himalayan Mountains has experienced a considerable vegetation cover change due to intensive human activities,such as population growth,proximate causes,accessibility,unstable political situations,government policy failure and poverty.The present study seeks to find out the impact of population growth and road network expansion on forest cover of Palas valley based on remotely sensed data and employing geospatial techniques.Changes in forest cover were determined by classifying time-series satellite images of Landsat and Sentinel 2 A.The images of October 1980,2000,2010 and 2017 were classified into six land cover classes and then the impact of population growth and accessibility on forest cover was analyzed.Furthermore,forest cover and land-use change detection map was prepared using classified images of 1980 and 2017.The data were collected mainly from field visits(ground verification),census reports,Communication and Works Department,Kohistan.Satellite imageries were obtained from the United States Geological Survey’s websites and classified in ERDAS imagine 2014 and ESRI ArcGIS 10.2.1 using supervised classification-maximum likelihood algorithm.Result of this study revealed that a substantial reduction in forest cover has taken place mainly in the proximity of human settlements.On the average,during the study period,annually more than 460 hectares of forest area has been converted into other uses.展开更多
This study investigated forest cover change and the driving forces behind it in Fagita Lekoma District of Ethiopia that resulted in increased forest cover,which might be uncommon outside this case study area.The LULC ...This study investigated forest cover change and the driving forces behind it in Fagita Lekoma District of Ethiopia that resulted in increased forest cover,which might be uncommon outside this case study area.The LULC change analysis was made from 2003 to 2017 based on Landsat images.Socioeconomic analysis was carried out to identify the major driving forces that resulted in LULC change.A questionnaire survey,focused group discussion,key informant interviews and field observation were employed to analyze the link between LULC change and the driving forces.The 15-year period(2003–2017)image analysis revealed that the coverage of forest lands,built-up areas and grassland has increased by 256%,100%and 96%,respectively,at the expense of cultivated lands and wetlands.The increased forest cover is due to the woodlots expansion of Acacia decurrens Willd,which are designed for sustainable livelihoods and a land revitalization strategy in the study area.Rapid population growth,an increasing demand for charcoal and subsequent market opportunities,preferred qualities of A.decurrens or black wattle to halt land degradation as well as to improve land productivity,have been identified as the major driving forces of forest cover change.Chi squared analysis revealed that:a comparative cash income from the sale of A.decurrens;a dependency on natural forests;the distance from the district administrative center;the size of the active labor force,and the area of land owned have significantly affected the cover change.The major forest cover change is due to the expansion of A.decurrens plantations that have socioeconomic and environmental implications to improve rural livelihoods and revitalize the land.Thus,the positive experiences identified in this study should be scaled-up and applied in other similar settings.展开更多
Background:Assessment of the reasons for the ambiguous influence of forests on the structure of the water balance is the subject of heated debate among forest hydrologists.Influencing the components of total evaporati...Background:Assessment of the reasons for the ambiguous influence of forests on the structure of the water balance is the subject of heated debate among forest hydrologists.Influencing the components of total evaporation,forest vegetation makes a significant contribution to the process of runoff formation,but this process has specific features in different geographical zones.The issues of the influence of forest vegetation on river runoff in the zonal aspect have not been sufficiently studied.Results:Based on the analysis of the dependence of river runoff on forest cover,using the example of nine catchments located in the forest-tundra,northern and middle taiga of Northern Eurasia,it is shown that the share of forest cover in the total catchment area(percentage of forest cover,FCP)has different effects on runoff formation.Numerical experiments with the developed empirical models have shown that an increase in forest cover in the catchment area in northern latitudes contributes to an increase in runoff,while in the southern direction(in the middle taiga)extensive woody cover of catchments“works”to reduce runoff.The effectiveness of geographical zonality in regards to the influence of forests on runoff is more pronounced in the forest-tundra zone than in the zones of northern and middle taiga.Conclusion:The study of this problem allowed us to analyze various aspects of the hydrological role of forests,and to show that forest ecosystems,depending on environmental conditions and the spatial distribution of forest cover,can transform water regimes in different ways.Despite the fact that the process of river runoff formation is controlled by many factors,such as temperature conditions,precipitation regime,geomorphology and the presence of permafrost,the models obtained allow us to reveal general trends in the dependence of the annual river runoff on the percentage of forest cover,at the level of catchments.The results obtained are consistent with the concept of geographic determinism,which explains the contradictions that exist in assessing the hydrological role of forests in various geographical and climatic conditions.The results of the study may serve as the basis for regulation of the forest cover of northern Eurasian river basins in order to obtain the desired hydrological effect depending on environmental and economic conditions.展开更多
Anthropogenic activities and natural processes are continuously altering the mountainous environment through deforestation, forest degradation and other land-use changes. It is highly important to assess, monitor and ...Anthropogenic activities and natural processes are continuously altering the mountainous environment through deforestation, forest degradation and other land-use changes. It is highly important to assess, monitor and forecast forest cover and other land-use changes for the protection and conservation of mountainous environment. The present study deals with the assessment of forest cover and other land-use changes in the mountain ranges of Dir Kohistan in northern Pakistan, using high resolution multi-temporal SPOT-5 satellite images. The SPOT-5 satellite images of years 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 were acquired and classified into land-cover units. In addition, forest cover and land-use change detection map was developed using the classified maps of 2004 and 2013. The classified maps were verified through random field samples and Google Earth imagery(Quick birds and SPOT-5). The results showed that during the period 2004 to 2013 the area of forest land decreased by 6.4%, however, area of range land and agriculture land have increased by 22.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Similarly, barren land increased by 1.1%, whereas, area of snow cover/glacier is significantly decreased by 21.3%. The findings from the study will be useful for forestry and landscape planning and can be utilized by the local, provincial and national forest departments; and REDD+ policy makers in Pakistan.展开更多
The Dongsithouane National Production Forest (DNPF) is one of the largest natural forest areas in Savannakhet, Lao PDR, which has been a vital support for the local community’s livelihood, Recently, significant chang...The Dongsithouane National Production Forest (DNPF) is one of the largest natural forest areas in Savannakhet, Lao PDR, which has been a vital support for the local community’s livelihood, Recently, significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC) have been observed in this area, leading to a reduction of natural forests. There were two separate methods of this study: firstly, to identify LULC changes across three different periods, spectral imagery from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) for the years 2001 and 2011, and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) for 2021 were used as the primary data sources. The satellite images were preprocessed for various forest classes, including pretreatment of the top of atmosphere reflectance by using QGIS software’s semi-automatic classification plug-in (SCP), and ArcGIS was used for post-classification. A supervised classification approach was applied to the satellite images from 2001, 2011, and 2021 to generate diverse maps of LULC. Secondly, a household survey dataset was used to investigate influential factors. Approximately 220 households were interviewed in order to collect socio-economic information (including data on population growth, increased business activities, location of the area, agriculture land expansion, and need for settlement land). Household survey data was analyzed by using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentages, were applied to observe characteristics. Additionally, a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the socioeconomic factors related to LULC change in DNPF. Key findings indicated a decline in natural forest areas within the study site. Specifically, both dry dipterocarp forest (−11.35%) and mixed deciduous forest (−0.18%) decreased from 2001 to 2021. The overall accuracy of the LULC maps was 94%, 86%, and 89% for the years 2001, 2011, and 2021 respectively. In contrast, agricultural land increased significantly by 155.70%, while built-up land, and water bodies increased by 65.54% and 35.33%, respectively. The results also highlighted a significant increase in construction land, up to 65.54%. Furthermore, the study found a correlation between agricultural expansion and a reduction of forest areas, along with an increase in built-up land along the forest areas’ boundaries. Timber exploitation and charcoal production also contributed to the decline in forest cover. The logistic regression model identified significant determinants of LULC change, including the area’s location, agricultural land expansion, increased business activity, and the need for settlement land. These factors have influenced the management of DNPF. Urgent sustainable management practices and actions, including forest ecosystem protection, village agricultural zoning, water source and watershed protection and public awareness, are required to preserve the forest areas of DNPF.展开更多
The purpose of this study was to classify current forest cover types,and to investigate stand development patterns for natural forests in six areas in northern Baekdudaegan,South Korea.Twenty-eight independent forest ...The purpose of this study was to classify current forest cover types,and to investigate stand development patterns for natural forests in six areas in northern Baekdudaegan,South Korea.Twenty-eight independent forest communities were aggregated into eight forest cover types by species composition in the overstory of each forest community.The forest cover types were of mixed mesophytic,‘‘others’ ’ deciduous,Quercus mongolica dominant,Q.mongolica pure,Pinus densiflora–Q.mongolica,P.densiflora,Betula ermanii,and Q.mongolica–P.koraiensis.The ecological information was organized by importance value and species diversity for each forest type.Based on the correlation between species diversity index and the abundance of Q.mongolica plus P.densiflora for corresponding forest cover types,we compared the developmental process and approximate successional pathway between each cover type.The P.densiflora forest cover type changes into the P.densiflora–Q.mongolica cover type,followed by the Q.mongolica dominant cover type through continuous invasion of the oak trees.Furthermore,the Q.mongolica pure cover type would spread toward the Q.mongolica dominant cover type with a mixture of various deciduous tree species.The Q.mongolica dominant cover type progresses through the other deciduous cover types to the mixed mesophytic cover type with diversified composition and structure.On the mid to lower slopes,with loamy soils and good moisture conditions,various deciduous forest types should progress,by ecological succession,toward the mixed mesophytic cover type without any further disturbance.展开更多
Portugal＇s forests in the 12th century were dominated by the Fagaceae represented by Quercus and Castanea, and several pine species From the 12th century onwards, forests underwent changes in their management startin...Portugal＇s forests in the 12th century were dominated by the Fagaceae represented by Quercus and Castanea, and several pine species From the 12th century onwards, forests underwent changes in their management starting with protection and ultimately leading to intense exploitation. The massive naval construction during the maritime expansion （mainly in the 15th-16th centuries） involved felling of approximately 5 million trees mainly Quercus suber, Pinus pinea and other Quercus species. Cumulative fuel-wood consumption of 959 Mm3 during 1300-1854 was attributed to demographic expansion while the deforestation rate during 1636-1854 accounted for a minimum of 72.6% and a maximum of 96% of total forest cover. The volume of timber used in railway sleepers from 1856 onwards might have reached 0.5 Mm3. The last quarter of the 20th century increased the forest cover of Portugal through the World Bank program of Eucalyptus globulus reforestation.展开更多
Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Res...Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve;to determine the extent of forest cover change in Masese from 1990to 2005;to determine the tree species that have been affected by forest cover change in Masese; and to assess the effects of forest cover change on the livelihoods of the dependent communities. Methods-Interviews and questionnaire were conducted with a proportion of 36households from Maondo and 84households from Mulimambango settlements.Scenes of landsat images of 1990,2000, 2005and Earth Google image for Masese were used for map analysis.Also remote sensing was used to analyze landsat images and Google image to detect forest and non-forest classes.Results and Conclusion-Forest cover change has adverse implication on the provision of wood forest products and nonwood forest products to the dependent local communities.The declining status of dominant Baikiaea Forest that has exploitable species for building materials and fuel wood has affected the livelihoods of the dependent local communities.There is also increased cost and shortage of fire wood and building materials due to deforestation in Masese Forest Reserve.展开更多
Atmospheric particulate matter(PM2.5) seriously influences air quality. It is considered one of the main environmental triggers for lung and heart diseases. Air pollutants can be adsorbed by forest. In this study we i...Atmospheric particulate matter(PM2.5) seriously influences air quality. It is considered one of the main environmental triggers for lung and heart diseases. Air pollutants can be adsorbed by forest. In this study we investigated the effect of forest cover on urban PM2.5 concentrations in 12 cities in Heilongjiang Province,China. The forest cover in each city was constant throughout the study period. The average daily concentration of PM2.5 in 12 cities was below 75 lg/m^3 during the non-heating period but exceeded this level during heating period. Furthermore, there were more moderate pollution days in six cities. This indicated that forests had the ability to reduce the concentration of PM2.5 but the main cause of air pollution was excessive human interference and artificial heating in winter. We classified the 12 cities according to the average PM2.5 concentrations. The relationship between PM2.5 concentrations and forest cover was obtained by integrating forest cover, land area,heated areas and number of vehicles in cities. Finally,considering the complexity of PM2.5 formation and based on the theory of random forestry, we selected six cities and analyzed their meteorological and air pollutant data. The main factors affecting PM2.5 concentrations were PM10,NO_2, CO and SO_2 in air pollutants while meteorological factors were secondary.展开更多
The forests of Pakistan replicate plentiful climatic, physiographic and edaphic differences in the country and these forests face a serious problem of deforestation. Geographic information system (GIS) techniques and ...The forests of Pakistan replicate plentiful climatic, physiographic and edaphic differences in the country and these forests face a serious problem of deforestation. Geographic information system (GIS) techniques and remote sensing (RS) from satellite platforms offer a best way to identify those areas of deforestation, and thus a GIS and RS based study was conducted in tehsil Barawal, district Dir (U) to analyze forest cover change. The main objectives of the study were to: 1) identify different classes of land use and land cover, and its spatial distribution in the study area;2) determine the trend, nature, location and magnitude of forest cover change;and 3) prepare maps of forest-cover change in different time periods in the study area. To assess the objectives remote sensing and GIS techniques were utilized. A supervised image classification technique was applied on Landsat 5 satellite images of 2000 and 2012. Five main classes such as agriculture, forest, barren land, snow and water were identified. The results showed that the area of forest, barren land, agriculture, water and snow in year 2000 was 49.54%, 43.38%, 5.19%, 1.40% and 0.49% and the area in 2012 was 37.17%, 41.36%, 12.69%, 5.05% and 3.72% respectively. Furthermore 2.02% decrease in barren land, 12.37% decrease in forest and 7.5% increase in agriculture land were identified. Due to high deforestation rate and increased agricultural activities, it is recommended that awareness campaign should be launched in the study area to protect and conserve this forest from further deforestation.展开更多
Landsat images were used to evaluate changes in forest cover of five forest fragments (Chawia, Fururu, Mbololo, Ngangao and Vuria) between 1973 and 2016. The forest fragments are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a g...Landsat images were used to evaluate changes in forest cover of five forest fragments (Chawia, Fururu, Mbololo, Ngangao and Vuria) between 1973 and 2016. The forest fragments are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot that boasts outstanding diversity of flora and fauna and a high level of endemism. Landsat imageries of 1973, 1987, 2001, 2012 and 2016 were analyzed using ArcGIS version 10.0 to provide information on forest cover change of the fragments between 1973 and 2016. Results showed that the annual rate of deforestation was 0.5% and was similar to global estimates. The forest fragments lost 23.2% of forest cover between 1973 and 2016. The forest area lost was higher in Vuria (43.0%) and Chawia (32.7%) which are non-gazetted forests managed by the County government of Taita Taveta but lower in Fururu (3.2%), Mbololo (13.7%) and Ngangao (16.8%) which are gazetted forests managed by Kenya Forest Service. Fururu and Mbololo forest fragments gazetted in early 1990s suffered less loss in forest cover compared to Ngangao, which was gazetted 12 years later. Gazettement of forests could preclude further forest degradation and loss by improving their management for effective provision of ecosystem services and conservation of biodiversity.展开更多
A study was conducted to estimate the forest cover change, quantify and map tree above-ground carbon stock using Remote sensing and GIS techniques together with forest inventory. Landsat images of 1980, 1995 and 2010 ...A study was conducted to estimate the forest cover change, quantify and map tree above-ground carbon stock using Remote sensing and GIS techniques together with forest inventory. Landsat images of 1980, 1995 and 2010 acquired during dry season were used in the estimation of cover changes. Supervised image classification using Maximum Likeli-hood Classifier was performed in ERDAS Imagine software to analyze the images and further analysis was performed in Arc GIS 9.3 software. Stratified sampling procedure was used to select concentric inventory plots in Pugu Forest Reserve (PFR) and Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve (KFR). Plots were laid according to NAFORMA, and the tree parameters in each sampling plot were collected. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to compute the above-ground bio- mass for each plot using an empirical equation relating wood basic density and tree height. The above-ground carbon was calculated using a conversion factor of 0.49. Geostatistical method in ArcGIS was used to analyze and map carbon. Results revealed that for the periods 1980-1995 and 1995-2010, Closed Forest in PFR decreased by 4.5% and 25.3% respectively, while for KFR, Closed Forest decreased by 11.9% and 31.3% respectively. The mean carbon density for PFR and KFR were respectively 5.72 tC/ha and 0.98 tC/ha while carbon stocks were 14 730.41 tC and 7 206.46 tC re- spectively. The revealed low carbon densities were attributable to decline in area under Closed Forest in the two Forest Reserves. The study recommends concerted efforts to enhance proper management of the forests so that the two forest reserves may contribute to REDD initiatives.展开更多
Changes in forest cover can affect not only the total runoff from a watershed,but also the runoff components(e.g.,surface runoff,interflow,groundwater flow).In this study,based on the WetSpa model simulation method an...Changes in forest cover can affect not only the total runoff from a watershed,but also the runoff components(e.g.,surface runoff,interflow,groundwater flow).In this study,based on the WetSpa model simulation method and the recursive digital filtering(RDF)method,the Banchengzi watershed in the mountainous region of Beijing,China,was selected to investigate how changes in forest cover type and cover percentage affect total runoff,surface runoff,interflow,and groundwater flow through scenario settings.Our results show that the difference between the WetSpa model and the RDF method for separating runoff components is small,with only 4.7%and 0.4%difference between the calibration and validation periods.Total runoff in different forest types followed the order shrub forest>coniferous forest>mixed forest>broadleaf forest.Regarding runoff components,the proportions of baseflow(sum of interflow and groundwater flow)to total runoff were 61.1%and 60.8%for broadleaf and mixed forests,which was significantly higher than those of 53.0%and 43.1%for coniferous and shrub forests.However,the proportion of shrub forest baseflow was high in wet years,and that of broadleaf forest baseflow was high in normal and dry years.The proportions of interflow and groundwater flow from various forest cover types to total runoff continued to increase with increasing forest cover rate.Our results have important implications for the implementation of afforestation projects and forest conservation programs,contributing to water resource regulation and ecosystem protection in watersheds.展开更多
The compilation of global Landsat data-sets and the ever-lowering costs of computing now make it feasible to monitor the Earth’s land cover at Landsat resolutions of 30 m.In this article,we describe the methods to cr...The compilation of global Landsat data-sets and the ever-lowering costs of computing now make it feasible to monitor the Earth’s land cover at Landsat resolutions of 30 m.In this article,we describe the methods to create global products of forest cover and cover change at Landsat resolutions.Nevertheless,there are many challenges in ensuring the creation of high-quality products.And we propose various ways in which the challenges can be overcome.Among the challenges are the need for atmospheric correction,incorrect calibration coefficients in some of the data-sets,the different phenologies between compila-tions,the need for terrain correction,the lack of consistent reference data for training and accuracy assessment,and the need for highly automated character-ization and change detection.We propose and evaluate the creation and use of surface reflectance products,improved selection of scenes to reduce phenological differences,terrain illumination correction,automated training selection,and the use of information extraction procedures robust to errors in training data along with several other issues.At several stages we use Moderate Resolution Spectro-radiometer data and products to assist our analysis.A global working prototype product of forest cover and forest cover change is included.展开更多
Worldwide, forest degradation is a serious environmental issue, and inPakistan, forest wealth is depleting at the highest rate in South Asia. Toensure sustainable development goals of environmental stewardship,social ...Worldwide, forest degradation is a serious environmental issue, and inPakistan, forest wealth is depleting at the highest rate in South Asia. Toensure sustainable development goals of environmental stewardship,social development and economic growth, a sound monitoring andregulatory mechanism is essential for tracking forest cover changes. Thisstudy aims to quantify the decline of forest reserves and associatedtemperature variations in a relatively unexplored biodiversity hotspot ofIslamabad, Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). Imagery acquired byLandsat TM (Thematic Mapper) for the year 1992, 2000 and 2011 areused to assess the spatial and temporal changes occurred over the lasttwo decades (from 1992 to 2011). A robust hybrid-classification routineis implemented to monitor the changes in forest cover and ANOVAalong with Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) test is used totest the significance of temperature variation associated with a shift inland cover classes. The results showed a significant growth insettlements, agricultural area and barren soil whereas water body, lowervegetation, scrub and pine forest are diminishing. In both decades, thetemperature alteration associated with a change in land cover classesare statistically significant (confirmed by ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD tests)for most of the land use/land cover classes. Based on these findings, thisstudy concludes that forests are dwindling at MHNP and the degradingcondition of the forest is below par and necessitates the promotion ofconservation practices to minimize ecological disturbances.展开更多
基金the financial assistance by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Pakistan through the Pakistan Wetlands Programme
文摘This study examines the spatial and temporal forest cover changes in Swat and Shangla districts to understand the deforestation pattern in context of the recent security conflict in these districts. We used multi-resolution satellite images to assess the long term deforestation from 2001 to 2009 and also to identify episodic forest cutting areas appeared during the conflict period of Oct. 2007 - Oct. 2008. There are only 58 ha of deforestation identified during the conflict period while 1268 ha of gross annual deforestation were assessed during last eight years. Most of the deforestation patches persist around the administrative boundaries at sub-district levels (tehsils) which can be attributed to ambiguity in unclear jurisdiction between the forest official. The results highlight that the forest cutting appeared in Swat and Shangla during the conflict period is not as significant when compared with the long term deforestation pattern in the area. On the one side the results of the study are supportive to the picture that emerges from international studies which report high rate of deforestation in the country and on the other side it negates any relation between the security situation and the increasing deforestation in the north western Pakistan. The study concludes that deforestation assessments require verification by independent sources of data, such as satellite imagery to improve our understanding of deforestation processes.
文摘Long-term observation of the earth is essential for studying the factors affecting global environmental changes.Digital earth technology can facilitate the monitoring of global environmental change with its ability to process vast amounts of information.In this study,we map the forest cover change of Myanmar from 2000 to 2005 using a training data automation procedure and support vector machines algorithm.Our results show that Myanmar’s forests have declined 0.68%annually over this six-year period.We validated our derived change results and found the overall accuracy to be greater than 88%.We also assessed forest loss from protected areas,areas close to roads,and areas subject to fire,which were most likely to lose forested area.The results revealed the main reasons for forest losses in some hotspots to be increased agricultural conversion,fire,and the construction of highways.This information is useful for identifying the driving forces behind forest changes and to support environmental policy development in Myanmar.
文摘We mapped the forest cover of Khadimnagar National Park （KNP） of Sylhet Forest Division and estimated forest change over a period of 22 years （1988-2010） using Landsat TM images and other GIS data. Supervised classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） image classification approaches were applied to the images to produce three cover classes, viz. dense forest, medium dense forest, and bare land. The change map was produced by differencing classified imageries of 1988 and 2010 as before image and after image, respectively, in ERDAS IMAGINE. Error matrix and kappa statistics were used to assess the accuracy of the produced maps. Overall map accuracies resulting from supervised classification of 1988 and 2010 imageries were 84.6% （Kappa 0.75） and 87.5% （Kappa 0.80）, respec- tively. Forest cover statistics resulting from supervised classification showed that dense forest and bare land declined from 526 ha （67%） to 417 ha （59%） and 105 ha （13%） to 8 ha （1%）, respectively, whereas medium dense forest increased from 155 ha （20%） to 317 ha （40%）. Forest cover change statistics derived from NDVI classification showed that dense forest declined from 525 ha （67%） to 421 ha （54%） while medium dense forest increased from 253 ha （32%） to 356 ha （45%）. Both supervised and NDVI classification approaches showed similar trends of forest change, i.e. decrease of dense forest and increase of medium dense forest, which indicates dense forest has been converted to medium dense forest. Area of bare land was unchanged. Illicit felling, encroachment, and settlement near forests caused the dense forest decline while short and long rotation plantations raised in various years caused the increase in area of medium dense forest. Protective measures should be undertaken to check further degradation of forest at KNP.
文摘Climate is a critical factor affecting forest ecosystems and their capacity to produce goods and services. Effects of climate change on forests depend on ecosystem-specific factors including dimensions of climate （temperature, precipitation, drought, wind etc.）. Available infor- mation is not sufficient to support a quantitative assessment of the eco- logical, social and economic consequences. The present study assessed shifts in forest cover types of Western Himalayan Eco-region （700-4 500 m）. 100 randomly selected samples （75 for training and 25 for testing the model）, genetic algorithm of rule set parameters and climatic envelopes were used to assess the distribution of five prominent forest cover types （Temperate evergreen, Tropical semi-evergreen, Temperate conifer, Sub- tropical conifer, and Tropical moist deciduous forests）. Modelling was conducted for four different scenarios, current scenario, changed precipi- tation （8% increase）, changed temperature （1.07℃ increase）, and both changed temperature and precipitation. On increasing precipitation a downward shift in the temperate evergreen and tropical semi-evergreen was observed, while sub-tropical conifer and tropical moist-deciduous forests showed a slight upward shift and temperate conifer showed ＇no shift. On increasing temperatm＇e, an upward shift in all forest types was observed except sub-tropical conifer forests without significant changes. When both temperature and precipitation were changed, the actual dis- tribution was maintained and slight upward shift was observed in all the forest types except sub-tropical conifer. It is important to understand the likely impacts of the projected climate change on the forest ecosystems, so that better management and conservation strategies can be adopted for the biodiversity and forest dependent community. Knowledge of impact mechanisms also enables identification and mitigation of some of the conditions that increase vulnerability to climate change in the forest sector.
基金part of the research project within the framework of National Research Program for Universities(NRPU),Project No.20.2396/NRPU/R&D/HEC 2014/163,generously funded by the Higher Education Commission(HEC)of PakistanHEC for financial support。
文摘Forest cover change in the mountainous region is driven by a variety of anthropogenic and natural factors.The Hindu Kush-Himalayan Mountains has experienced a considerable vegetation cover change due to intensive human activities,such as population growth,proximate causes,accessibility,unstable political situations,government policy failure and poverty.The present study seeks to find out the impact of population growth and road network expansion on forest cover of Palas valley based on remotely sensed data and employing geospatial techniques.Changes in forest cover were determined by classifying time-series satellite images of Landsat and Sentinel 2 A.The images of October 1980,2000,2010 and 2017 were classified into six land cover classes and then the impact of population growth and accessibility on forest cover was analyzed.Furthermore,forest cover and land-use change detection map was prepared using classified images of 1980 and 2017.The data were collected mainly from field visits(ground verification),census reports,Communication and Works Department,Kohistan.Satellite imageries were obtained from the United States Geological Survey’s websites and classified in ERDAS imagine 2014 and ESRI ArcGIS 10.2.1 using supervised classification-maximum likelihood algorithm.Result of this study revealed that a substantial reduction in forest cover has taken place mainly in the proximity of human settlements.On the average,during the study period,annually more than 460 hectares of forest area has been converted into other uses.
基金The work was supported by the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Fund for Soft Science(17692102400)the Shanghai Pujiang Program(17PJC098).
文摘This study investigated forest cover change and the driving forces behind it in Fagita Lekoma District of Ethiopia that resulted in increased forest cover,which might be uncommon outside this case study area.The LULC change analysis was made from 2003 to 2017 based on Landsat images.Socioeconomic analysis was carried out to identify the major driving forces that resulted in LULC change.A questionnaire survey,focused group discussion,key informant interviews and field observation were employed to analyze the link between LULC change and the driving forces.The 15-year period(2003–2017)image analysis revealed that the coverage of forest lands,built-up areas and grassland has increased by 256%,100%and 96%,respectively,at the expense of cultivated lands and wetlands.The increased forest cover is due to the woodlots expansion of Acacia decurrens Willd,which are designed for sustainable livelihoods and a land revitalization strategy in the study area.Rapid population growth,an increasing demand for charcoal and subsequent market opportunities,preferred qualities of A.decurrens or black wattle to halt land degradation as well as to improve land productivity,have been identified as the major driving forces of forest cover change.Chi squared analysis revealed that:a comparative cash income from the sale of A.decurrens;a dependency on natural forests;the distance from the district administrative center;the size of the active labor force,and the area of land owned have significantly affected the cover change.The major forest cover change is due to the expansion of A.decurrens plantations that have socioeconomic and environmental implications to improve rural livelihoods and revitalize the land.Thus,the positive experiences identified in this study should be scaled-up and applied in other similar settings.
基金supported by the basic project of the IF SB RAS“Theoretical Foundations of Preserving the Ecological and Resource Potential of Siberian Forests under the Conditions of Increasing Anthropogenic Press and Climate Anomalies”,No.AAAA-A17–117101940014-9(0356–2019-0027)The reported study was funded by RFBR(project number 20–05-00095).
文摘Background:Assessment of the reasons for the ambiguous influence of forests on the structure of the water balance is the subject of heated debate among forest hydrologists.Influencing the components of total evaporation,forest vegetation makes a significant contribution to the process of runoff formation,but this process has specific features in different geographical zones.The issues of the influence of forest vegetation on river runoff in the zonal aspect have not been sufficiently studied.Results:Based on the analysis of the dependence of river runoff on forest cover,using the example of nine catchments located in the forest-tundra,northern and middle taiga of Northern Eurasia,it is shown that the share of forest cover in the total catchment area(percentage of forest cover,FCP)has different effects on runoff formation.Numerical experiments with the developed empirical models have shown that an increase in forest cover in the catchment area in northern latitudes contributes to an increase in runoff,while in the southern direction(in the middle taiga)extensive woody cover of catchments“works”to reduce runoff.The effectiveness of geographical zonality in regards to the influence of forests on runoff is more pronounced in the forest-tundra zone than in the zones of northern and middle taiga.Conclusion:The study of this problem allowed us to analyze various aspects of the hydrological role of forests,and to show that forest ecosystems,depending on environmental conditions and the spatial distribution of forest cover,can transform water regimes in different ways.Despite the fact that the process of river runoff formation is controlled by many factors,such as temperature conditions,precipitation regime,geomorphology and the presence of permafrost,the models obtained allow us to reveal general trends in the dependence of the annual river runoff on the percentage of forest cover,at the level of catchments.The results obtained are consistent with the concept of geographic determinism,which explains the contradictions that exist in assessing the hydrological role of forests in various geographical and climatic conditions.The results of the study may serve as the basis for regulation of the forest cover of northern Eurasian river basins in order to obtain the desired hydrological effect depending on environmental and economic conditions.
基金akistan Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission(SUPARCO),for the provision of SPOT satellite imagesnational center of excellence in Geology(NCEG)+1 种基金University of Peshawar and Department of ForestryShaheed Benazir Bhutto University,Sheringal
文摘Anthropogenic activities and natural processes are continuously altering the mountainous environment through deforestation, forest degradation and other land-use changes. It is highly important to assess, monitor and forecast forest cover and other land-use changes for the protection and conservation of mountainous environment. The present study deals with the assessment of forest cover and other land-use changes in the mountain ranges of Dir Kohistan in northern Pakistan, using high resolution multi-temporal SPOT-5 satellite images. The SPOT-5 satellite images of years 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 were acquired and classified into land-cover units. In addition, forest cover and land-use change detection map was developed using the classified maps of 2004 and 2013. The classified maps were verified through random field samples and Google Earth imagery(Quick birds and SPOT-5). The results showed that during the period 2004 to 2013 the area of forest land decreased by 6.4%, however, area of range land and agriculture land have increased by 22.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Similarly, barren land increased by 1.1%, whereas, area of snow cover/glacier is significantly decreased by 21.3%. The findings from the study will be useful for forestry and landscape planning and can be utilized by the local, provincial and national forest departments; and REDD+ policy makers in Pakistan.
文摘The Dongsithouane National Production Forest (DNPF) is one of the largest natural forest areas in Savannakhet, Lao PDR, which has been a vital support for the local community’s livelihood, Recently, significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC) have been observed in this area, leading to a reduction of natural forests. There were two separate methods of this study: firstly, to identify LULC changes across three different periods, spectral imagery from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) for the years 2001 and 2011, and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) for 2021 were used as the primary data sources. The satellite images were preprocessed for various forest classes, including pretreatment of the top of atmosphere reflectance by using QGIS software’s semi-automatic classification plug-in (SCP), and ArcGIS was used for post-classification. A supervised classification approach was applied to the satellite images from 2001, 2011, and 2021 to generate diverse maps of LULC. Secondly, a household survey dataset was used to investigate influential factors. Approximately 220 households were interviewed in order to collect socio-economic information (including data on population growth, increased business activities, location of the area, agriculture land expansion, and need for settlement land). Household survey data was analyzed by using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentages, were applied to observe characteristics. Additionally, a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the socioeconomic factors related to LULC change in DNPF. Key findings indicated a decline in natural forest areas within the study site. Specifically, both dry dipterocarp forest (−11.35%) and mixed deciduous forest (−0.18%) decreased from 2001 to 2021. The overall accuracy of the LULC maps was 94%, 86%, and 89% for the years 2001, 2011, and 2021 respectively. In contrast, agricultural land increased significantly by 155.70%, while built-up land, and water bodies increased by 65.54% and 35.33%, respectively. The results also highlighted a significant increase in construction land, up to 65.54%. Furthermore, the study found a correlation between agricultural expansion and a reduction of forest areas, along with an increase in built-up land along the forest areas’ boundaries. Timber exploitation and charcoal production also contributed to the decline in forest cover. The logistic regression model identified significant determinants of LULC change, including the area’s location, agricultural land expansion, increased business activity, and the need for settlement land. These factors have influenced the management of DNPF. Urgent sustainable management practices and actions, including forest ecosystem protection, village agricultural zoning, water source and watershed protection and public awareness, are required to preserve the forest areas of DNPF.
基金support of ‘Forest Science&Technology Projects(Project No.S211012L030110)’ provided by Korea Forest Service
文摘The purpose of this study was to classify current forest cover types,and to investigate stand development patterns for natural forests in six areas in northern Baekdudaegan,South Korea.Twenty-eight independent forest communities were aggregated into eight forest cover types by species composition in the overstory of each forest community.The forest cover types were of mixed mesophytic,‘‘others’ ’ deciduous,Quercus mongolica dominant,Q.mongolica pure,Pinus densiflora–Q.mongolica,P.densiflora,Betula ermanii,and Q.mongolica–P.koraiensis.The ecological information was organized by importance value and species diversity for each forest type.Based on the correlation between species diversity index and the abundance of Q.mongolica plus P.densiflora for corresponding forest cover types,we compared the developmental process and approximate successional pathway between each cover type.The P.densiflora forest cover type changes into the P.densiflora–Q.mongolica cover type,followed by the Q.mongolica dominant cover type through continuous invasion of the oak trees.Furthermore,the Q.mongolica pure cover type would spread toward the Q.mongolica dominant cover type with a mixture of various deciduous tree species.The Q.mongolica dominant cover type progresses through the other deciduous cover types to the mixed mesophytic cover type with diversified composition and structure.On the mid to lower slopes,with loamy soils and good moisture conditions,various deciduous forest types should progress,by ecological succession,toward the mixed mesophytic cover type without any further disturbance.
文摘Portugal＇s forests in the 12th century were dominated by the Fagaceae represented by Quercus and Castanea, and several pine species From the 12th century onwards, forests underwent changes in their management starting with protection and ultimately leading to intense exploitation. The massive naval construction during the maritime expansion （mainly in the 15th-16th centuries） involved felling of approximately 5 million trees mainly Quercus suber, Pinus pinea and other Quercus species. Cumulative fuel-wood consumption of 959 Mm3 during 1300-1854 was attributed to demographic expansion while the deforestation rate during 1636-1854 accounted for a minimum of 72.6% and a maximum of 96% of total forest cover. The volume of timber used in railway sleepers from 1856 onwards might have reached 0.5 Mm3. The last quarter of the 20th century increased the forest cover of Portugal through the World Bank program of Eucalyptus globulus reforestation.
文摘Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve;to determine the extent of forest cover change in Masese from 1990to 2005;to determine the tree species that have been affected by forest cover change in Masese; and to assess the effects of forest cover change on the livelihoods of the dependent communities. Methods-Interviews and questionnaire were conducted with a proportion of 36households from Maondo and 84households from Mulimambango settlements.Scenes of landsat images of 1990,2000, 2005and Earth Google image for Masese were used for map analysis.Also remote sensing was used to analyze landsat images and Google image to detect forest and non-forest classes.Results and Conclusion-Forest cover change has adverse implication on the provision of wood forest products and nonwood forest products to the dependent local communities.The declining status of dominant Baikiaea Forest that has exploitable species for building materials and fuel wood has affected the livelihoods of the dependent local communities.There is also increased cost and shortage of fire wood and building materials due to deforestation in Masese Forest Reserve.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province,China(Grant No.G2016001)
文摘Atmospheric particulate matter(PM2.5) seriously influences air quality. It is considered one of the main environmental triggers for lung and heart diseases. Air pollutants can be adsorbed by forest. In this study we investigated the effect of forest cover on urban PM2.5 concentrations in 12 cities in Heilongjiang Province,China. The forest cover in each city was constant throughout the study period. The average daily concentration of PM2.5 in 12 cities was below 75 lg/m^3 during the non-heating period but exceeded this level during heating period. Furthermore, there were more moderate pollution days in six cities. This indicated that forests had the ability to reduce the concentration of PM2.5 but the main cause of air pollution was excessive human interference and artificial heating in winter. We classified the 12 cities according to the average PM2.5 concentrations. The relationship between PM2.5 concentrations and forest cover was obtained by integrating forest cover, land area,heated areas and number of vehicles in cities. Finally,considering the complexity of PM2.5 formation and based on the theory of random forestry, we selected six cities and analyzed their meteorological and air pollutant data. The main factors affecting PM2.5 concentrations were PM10,NO_2, CO and SO_2 in air pollutants while meteorological factors were secondary.
文摘The forests of Pakistan replicate plentiful climatic, physiographic and edaphic differences in the country and these forests face a serious problem of deforestation. Geographic information system (GIS) techniques and remote sensing (RS) from satellite platforms offer a best way to identify those areas of deforestation, and thus a GIS and RS based study was conducted in tehsil Barawal, district Dir (U) to analyze forest cover change. The main objectives of the study were to: 1) identify different classes of land use and land cover, and its spatial distribution in the study area;2) determine the trend, nature, location and magnitude of forest cover change;and 3) prepare maps of forest-cover change in different time periods in the study area. To assess the objectives remote sensing and GIS techniques were utilized. A supervised image classification technique was applied on Landsat 5 satellite images of 2000 and 2012. Five main classes such as agriculture, forest, barren land, snow and water were identified. The results showed that the area of forest, barren land, agriculture, water and snow in year 2000 was 49.54%, 43.38%, 5.19%, 1.40% and 0.49% and the area in 2012 was 37.17%, 41.36%, 12.69%, 5.05% and 3.72% respectively. Furthermore 2.02% decrease in barren land, 12.37% decrease in forest and 7.5% increase in agriculture land were identified. Due to high deforestation rate and increased agricultural activities, it is recommended that awareness campaign should be launched in the study area to protect and conserve this forest from further deforestation.
文摘Landsat images were used to evaluate changes in forest cover of five forest fragments (Chawia, Fururu, Mbololo, Ngangao and Vuria) between 1973 and 2016. The forest fragments are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot that boasts outstanding diversity of flora and fauna and a high level of endemism. Landsat imageries of 1973, 1987, 2001, 2012 and 2016 were analyzed using ArcGIS version 10.0 to provide information on forest cover change of the fragments between 1973 and 2016. Results showed that the annual rate of deforestation was 0.5% and was similar to global estimates. The forest fragments lost 23.2% of forest cover between 1973 and 2016. The forest area lost was higher in Vuria (43.0%) and Chawia (32.7%) which are non-gazetted forests managed by the County government of Taita Taveta but lower in Fururu (3.2%), Mbololo (13.7%) and Ngangao (16.8%) which are gazetted forests managed by Kenya Forest Service. Fururu and Mbololo forest fragments gazetted in early 1990s suffered less loss in forest cover compared to Ngangao, which was gazetted 12 years later. Gazettement of forests could preclude further forest degradation and loss by improving their management for effective provision of ecosystem services and conservation of biodiversity.
文摘A study was conducted to estimate the forest cover change, quantify and map tree above-ground carbon stock using Remote sensing and GIS techniques together with forest inventory. Landsat images of 1980, 1995 and 2010 acquired during dry season were used in the estimation of cover changes. Supervised image classification using Maximum Likeli-hood Classifier was performed in ERDAS Imagine software to analyze the images and further analysis was performed in Arc GIS 9.3 software. Stratified sampling procedure was used to select concentric inventory plots in Pugu Forest Reserve (PFR) and Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve (KFR). Plots were laid according to NAFORMA, and the tree parameters in each sampling plot were collected. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to compute the above-ground bio- mass for each plot using an empirical equation relating wood basic density and tree height. The above-ground carbon was calculated using a conversion factor of 0.49. Geostatistical method in ArcGIS was used to analyze and map carbon. Results revealed that for the periods 1980-1995 and 1995-2010, Closed Forest in PFR decreased by 4.5% and 25.3% respectively, while for KFR, Closed Forest decreased by 11.9% and 31.3% respectively. The mean carbon density for PFR and KFR were respectively 5.72 tC/ha and 0.98 tC/ha while carbon stocks were 14 730.41 tC and 7 206.46 tC re- spectively. The revealed low carbon densities were attributable to decline in area under Closed Forest in the two Forest Reserves. The study recommends concerted efforts to enhance proper management of the forests so that the two forest reserves may contribute to REDD initiatives.
基金This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFF0305905-03).
文摘Changes in forest cover can affect not only the total runoff from a watershed,but also the runoff components(e.g.,surface runoff,interflow,groundwater flow).In this study,based on the WetSpa model simulation method and the recursive digital filtering(RDF)method,the Banchengzi watershed in the mountainous region of Beijing,China,was selected to investigate how changes in forest cover type and cover percentage affect total runoff,surface runoff,interflow,and groundwater flow through scenario settings.Our results show that the difference between the WetSpa model and the RDF method for separating runoff components is small,with only 4.7%and 0.4%difference between the calibration and validation periods.Total runoff in different forest types followed the order shrub forest>coniferous forest>mixed forest>broadleaf forest.Regarding runoff components,the proportions of baseflow(sum of interflow and groundwater flow)to total runoff were 61.1%and 60.8%for broadleaf and mixed forests,which was significantly higher than those of 53.0%and 43.1%for coniferous and shrub forests.However,the proportion of shrub forest baseflow was high in wet years,and that of broadleaf forest baseflow was high in normal and dry years.The proportions of interflow and groundwater flow from various forest cover types to total runoff continued to increase with increasing forest cover rate.Our results have important implications for the implementation of afforestation projects and forest conservation programs,contributing to water resource regulation and ecosystem protection in watersheds.
基金support from the NASATerrestrial Ecology Program which led to the creation of LEDAPS on which much of this work is based.We acknowledge the help of two people in particular from USGS EROS:Gyanesh Chander helped to identify the GLS 1990 images that have most recent USGS calibration coefficients(?50%of the GLS 1990 data-set).Rachel Headley helped us obtain the GLS data-sets.She also helped significantly with our reordering of the GLS 1990 images that had good calibration coefficients。
文摘The compilation of global Landsat data-sets and the ever-lowering costs of computing now make it feasible to monitor the Earth’s land cover at Landsat resolutions of 30 m.In this article,we describe the methods to create global products of forest cover and cover change at Landsat resolutions.Nevertheless,there are many challenges in ensuring the creation of high-quality products.And we propose various ways in which the challenges can be overcome.Among the challenges are the need for atmospheric correction,incorrect calibration coefficients in some of the data-sets,the different phenologies between compila-tions,the need for terrain correction,the lack of consistent reference data for training and accuracy assessment,and the need for highly automated character-ization and change detection.We propose and evaluate the creation and use of surface reflectance products,improved selection of scenes to reduce phenological differences,terrain illumination correction,automated training selection,and the use of information extraction procedures robust to errors in training data along with several other issues.At several stages we use Moderate Resolution Spectro-radiometer data and products to assist our analysis.A global working prototype product of forest cover and forest cover change is included.
文摘Worldwide, forest degradation is a serious environmental issue, and inPakistan, forest wealth is depleting at the highest rate in South Asia. Toensure sustainable development goals of environmental stewardship,social development and economic growth, a sound monitoring andregulatory mechanism is essential for tracking forest cover changes. Thisstudy aims to quantify the decline of forest reserves and associatedtemperature variations in a relatively unexplored biodiversity hotspot ofIslamabad, Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). Imagery acquired byLandsat TM (Thematic Mapper) for the year 1992, 2000 and 2011 areused to assess the spatial and temporal changes occurred over the lasttwo decades (from 1992 to 2011). A robust hybrid-classification routineis implemented to monitor the changes in forest cover and ANOVAalong with Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) test is used totest the significance of temperature variation associated with a shift inland cover classes. The results showed a significant growth insettlements, agricultural area and barren soil whereas water body, lowervegetation, scrub and pine forest are diminishing. In both decades, thetemperature alteration associated with a change in land cover classesare statistically significant (confirmed by ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD tests)for most of the land use/land cover classes. Based on these findings, thisstudy concludes that forests are dwindling at MHNP and the degradingcondition of the forest is below par and necessitates the promotion ofconservation practices to minimize ecological disturbances.
