Development of Ecological Land Classification and mapping in support of forest management in northern Newfoundland,Canada

For the sustainable development of forest land, as recently prescribed by the Canadian Forest Strategy, a land classification project in northern Newfoundland was initiated to support the local forest management activities. The method adopted here is a modification of the Canadian Committee for Ecological Land Classification's (CCELC) system, and it applies various levels of mapping to uniform areas based on geomorphology, soils, vegetation, climate, water, and fauna.In this study, all CCELC levels were mapped; resulting maps were digitized and imported into a Geographic Informations System (GIS). The GIS data base contained the following maps: 1) digital terrain model, 2) bedrock geology, 3) surficial geology, 4) forest inventory, and 5) various levels of the ecological land classification, including Vegetation Types at the lowest level. In addition to the mapping, mensurational data were analyzed to provide stand and stock tables for each of the forest types, including growth curves that could be entered into specific forest growth modelling systems to predict wood supply scenarios based upon different management interventions.     

Introduction-global to local: Ecological Land Classification

Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is a scientific endeavour which attempts to organize, stratify and evaluate ecosystems (and complexes of ecosystems) for the purposes of land resource management. Since ecosystems themselves are not easily defined in practical terms, ELC is likewise not a trivial concept. Nonetheless, ELC is a prerequisite for ecosystem management and the conservation of biological diversity simply because ecosystems must be described, characterized and spatially-located before they can be managed. Regarding the current status and future direction of ELC, mainly in relation to forest management: 1) approaches to ELC construction and utilization have shifted considerably over the past 2 decades; 2) there appears to be a current consensus regarding basic approaches to ELC; 3) spatial scale is a critical variable that must be addressed by ELCs; 4) ELCs must strive to more directly address management objectives; 5) natural ecosystem functions need to be better integrated within ELC frameworks; and, 6) the need for quality, georeferenced ELC-related data will continue to grow.     

Developing an Ecological Land Classification for the Fundy Model Forest,southeastern New Brunswick,Canada

The methodology for developing and mapping a hierarchical Ecological Land Classification (ELC) is presented. The classification provided a systematic methodology that explained the distribution and composition of southern New Brunswick's forested landscape. The nested structure of the ELC identified and provided a hierarchical linkage between ecosystems from the size of forest stands to climate regions. This framework made the collection and analysis of data efficient and gave confidence that tree species distributions, which were central to understanding the influence of abiotic factors on the forest systems, were controlled by the factors examined at each level of the hierarchy. This ELC methodology, developed for the Fundy Model forest, was successful in describing and mapping the Climate, Geomorphologic, and Regolith controlled forest ecosystems. Preliminary classification indicates that spatial referencing of the Site Level is achievable.     

Analysis of the spatio-temporal and semantic aspects of land-cover/use change dynamics 1991–2001 in Albania at national and district levels

In the turmoil of a rapidly changing economy the Albanian government needs accurate and timely information for management of their natural resources and formulation of land-use policies. The transformation of the forestry sector has required major changes in the legal, regulatory and management framework. The World Bank financed Albanian National Forest Inventory project provides an analysis of spatially explicit land-cover/use change dynamics in the period 1991–2001 using the FAO/UNEP Land Cover Classification System for codification of classes, satellite remote sensing and field survey for data collection and elements of the object-oriented geo-database approach to handle changes as an evolution of land-cover/use objects, i.e. polygons, over time to facilitate change dynamics analysis.Analysis results at national level show the trend of natural resources depletion in the form of modifications and conversions that lead to a gradual shift from land-cover/use types with a tree cover to less dense tree covers or even a complete removal of trees. Policy failure (e.g., corruption, lack of law enforcement) is seen as the underlying cause. Another major trend is urbanisation of areas near large urban centres that change urban-rural linkages. Furthermore, after privatisation agricultural areas increased in the hills where environmental effects may be detrimental, while prime agricultural land in the plains is lost to urbanisation.At district level, the local variability of spatially explicit land-cover/use changes shows different types of natural resources depletion. The distribution of changes indicates a regional prevalence, thus a decentralised approach to the natural resources management could be advocated.     

Application of the USDA Forest Service National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units at the sub-regional level: The New England-New York example

Ecological regionalization according to the USDA Forest Service National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units was undertaken for the New England-New York region. A topdown, map-overlay approach was used to map sections and subsections. Where available, landscape level units (LTAs) were aggregated and evaluated to supplement the subsection mapping. A regional collaborative effort was undertaken to counterbalance the shortfalls of a purely mechanistic approach. As a result of this process, 17 section and 58 draft subsection units were delineated for the New England-New York region. The sub-regional units developed reflect the strong correspondence among climate, topography and geography at this scale. Geologic factors, due to their influence on landform and mineral availability, are also reflected in the ecological unit boundaries. Efforts to apply the multifactor model at the sub-regional level have been hampered by the lack of scale appropriate information on a number of factors particularly meso-scale climate and potential natural community composition and distribution. Further research and investigation are required before these criterion are adequately met.     

Linking satellite and field survey data,through the use of gis,as implemented in Great Britain in the Countryside Survey 1990 project

The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has been studying land use and the effects of land use on ecology for two decades. A series of national field surveys have been undertaken by the Land Use Section of ITE since 1978, the most recent being Countryside Survey 1990 (CS1990). The three-year project brought together field survey and remote sensing data which were analyzed using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). National and regional land-cover patterns were described and changes estimated.The data collected by the field survey part of CS1990 recorded stratified samples based on a land classification. Thematic maps for surveyed 1-km squares covered physiography, agriculture and semi-natural vegetation, forestry, structures and boundaries. The same sites were surveyed in 1984 and 1990 with 14 000 digital maps produced describing both years. GIS was used to generate stock figures for each year, and overlay allowed change between survey dates to be estimated.GIS was used to compare data collected from both field survey and satellite imagery so that both sets of information could be qualified when expressed as national figures.This paper describes the historical development of the ITE Land Classification, examines the way in which data were collected for surveys, with particular reference to Countryside Survey 1990, and shows how satellite and field survey data can be linked through GIS.     

Development history and bibliography of the US Forest Service crown-condition indicator for forest health monitoring

Comprehensive assessment of individual-tree crown condition by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has its origins in the concerns about widespread forest decline in Europe and North America that developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Programs such as the US National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program, US National Vegetation Survey, Canadian Acid Rain National Early Warning System, and joint US–Canadian North American Sugar Maple Decline Project laid the groundwork for the development of the US Forest Service crown-condition indicator. The crown-condition assessment protocols were selected and refined through literature review, peer review, and field studies in several different forest types during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1980 and 2011, 126 publications relating specifically to the crown-condition indicator were added to the literature. The majority of the articles were published by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service or other State or Federal government agency, and more than half were published after 2004.     

Status and future of the forest health indicators program of the USA

For two decades, the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, has been charged with implementing a nationwide field-based forest health monitoring effort. Given its extensive nature, the monitoring program has been gradually implemented across forest health indicators and inventoried states. Currently, the Forest Service??s Forest Inventory and Analysis program has initiated forest health inventories in all states, and most forest health indicators are being documented in terms of sampling protocols, data management structures, and estimation procedures. Field data from most sample years and indicators are available on-line with numerous analytical examples published both internally and externally. This investment in national forest health monitoring has begun to yield dividends by allowing evaluation of state/regional forest health issues (e.g., pollution and invasive pests) and contributing substantially to national/international reporting efforts (e.g., National Report on Sustainability and US EPA Annual Greenhouse Gas Estimates). With the emerging threat of climate change, full national implementation and remeasurement of a forest health inventory should allow for more robust assessment of forest communities that are undergoing unprecedented changes, aiding future land management and policy decisions.     

Regional Land Cover Characterization Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Data and Ancillary Data Sources

As part of the activities of the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Interagency Consortium, an intermediate-scale land cover data set is being generated for the conterminous United States. This effort is being conducted on a region-by-region basis using U.S. Standard Federal Regions. To date, land cover data sets have been generated for Federal Regions 3 (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware) and 2 (New York and New Jersey). Classification work is currently under way in Federal Region 4 (the southeastern United States), and land cover mapping activities have been started in Federal Regions 5 (the Great Lakes region) and 1 (New England). It is anticipated that a land cover data set for the conterminous United States will be completed by the end of 1999. A standard land cover classification legend is used, which is analogous to and compatible with other classification schemes. The primary MRLC regional classification scheme contains 23 land cover classes.The primary source of data for the project is the Landsat thematic mapper (TM) sensor. For each region, TM scenes representing both leaf-on and leaf-off conditions are acquired, preprocessed, and georeferenced to MRLC specifications. Mosaicked data are clustered using unsupervised classification, and individual clusters are labeled using aerial photographs. Individual clusters that represent more than one land cover unit are split using spatial modeling with multiple ancillary spatial data layers (most notably, digital elevation model, population, land use and land cover, and wetlands information). This approach yields regional land cover information suitable for a wide array of applications, including landscape metric analyses, land management, land cover change studies, and nutrient and pesticide runoff modeling.     

Responses of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Indicators of Water Quality to a Gradient of Agricultural Land Use in the Yakima River Basin, Washington

The condition of 25 stream sites in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, were assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Multimetric condition indices were developed and used to rank sites on the basis of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. These indices showed that sites in the Cascades and Eastern Cascades ecoregions were largely unimpaired. In contrast, all but two sites in the Columbia Basin ecoregion were impaired, some severely. Agriculture (nutrients and pesticides) was the primary factor associated with impairment and all impaired sites were characterized by multiple indicators of impairment. All indices of biological condition (fish, invertebrates, and algae) declined as agricultural intensity increased. The response exhibited by invertebrates and algae suggested a threshold response with conditions declining precipitously at relatively low levels of agricultural intensity and little response at moderate to high levels of agricultural intensity. This pattern of response suggests that the success of mitigation will vary depending upon where on the response curve the mitigation is undertaken. Because the form of the community condition response is critical to effective water-quality management, the National Water-Quality Assessment Program is conducting studies to examine the response of biota to gradients of land-use intensity and the relevance of these responses to water-quality management. These land-use gradient pilot studies will be conducted in several urban areas starting in 1999.     

Comparing the quality of draft environmental impact statements by agencies in the United States since 1998 to 2004

Since the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970, the United States has required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rate draft environmental statements (DEISs) for both information adequacy and the impact of the preferred alternative on the environment. In a previous study by Tzoumis and Finegold (2000), these ratings were found to be declining from 1970 to 1997. This current study investigates if that trend continued from 1998 to 2004. In addition, the top producing agencies (the Forest Service, the Federal Highway Administration, Army Corp of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management) are compared for the achievement of DEIS ratings. The results show that when the ratings are disaggregated for these agencies, the results indicate that there continues to be weak performance. The DEISs continue to have insufficient and sometimes inadequate information. Agencies continue to propose projects that have environmental concerns and sometimes objections. The agencies have some similarities in not being able to achieve the highest ratings on a consistent basis over time. However, more disturbing is the profile of agencies that have episodic peaks of achieving the lowest ratings. Conclusions and recommendations are focused on the agencies who submit that DEISs and EPA. One major conclusion is to better track the ratings and make them collectively available for the public. Agencies are encouraged to develop a best management practice in preparing DEISs to promote agency learning.     

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program – Monitoring Effectiveness of Sustainable Forest Management Planning

A conceptual model of sustainable forest management is described based on three connected and necessary components: Policy/Strategic Planning, Operational Planning, and EffectivenessMonitoring/Science.Alberta’s proposed Forest Management Planning Standard is described as an example of operational planning. The standard utilizes coarse and fine filter approaches to conserving biodiversity and sets requirements for implementation monitoring.The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program (ABMP) is described as an example of effectiveness monitoring supporting Operational Planning. The ABMP is a rigorous science-based initiative that is being developed to monitor and report on biodiversity status and trends throughout the province of Alberta, Canada. The basic survey design consists of 1656 sites, 20 km apart, evenly spaced on a grid pattern across Alberta. Sites will be sampled over a five-year period at a rate of 350 sites/year. Standardized sampling protocols will be used to cover a broad range of species and habitat elements within terrestrial and aquatic environments, as well as broader landscape-level features.Trends and associations detected by ABMP products will be validated through cause-effect research. ABMP focuses research on critical issues and informs both operational planning and the development of policy and strategic-level plans. The Alberta Forest Management Planning Standard and the ABMP are described as key components to implementing resource planning based on ecosystem management principles.     

Criteria to Assess and Select Sites for Long-Term Avian Monitoring in an Urbanizing Landscape

A methodology was developed to prioritize the suitability of sites for long-term monitoring of avian populations, including vulnerable species, both to enhance assessment of changes in ecological resources and to facilitate land-use planning at the regional scale. This paper argues that a successful monitoring program begins with a site prioritization procedure that integrates scores based on spatial controls with ecological and socio-economic indicators, particularly those dependent on community involvement. The evaluation strategy in this study combines 1) spatial controls such as land ownership and accessibility, with 2) biological and habitat indicators such as vulnerable species and habitat connectivity, and 3) community and agency variables such as volunteer commitment and agency priorities. In total, a set of ten indicators was identified. This strategy was applied to predominantly agricultural landscapes, which are experiencing increasing human pressures, in three sub-watersheds of the Credit River, Southern Ontario. Specifically, bird populations were recorded during the breeding seasons of 2000-2002 in nine land units or habitat types including marsh, deciduous forest, and grasslands as mapped by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) following Ecological Land Classification (ELC) guidelines. CVC selected sites for long-term monitoring in 2002 and the relationships between the scored (or ranked) sites and the selected long-term monitoring sites are discussed.     

Genecological variation corresponding to Forest Ecosystem Classification vegetation and soil types for jack pine and black spruce from northwestern Ontario

A preliminary study was undertaken to reveal ecotypic differentiation in jack pine and black spruce corresponding to ecological land classification groups. Seed sources of jack pine (64) and black spruce (68) from northwestern Ontario were classified according to Vegetation Types (V-Types) and Soil Types (S-Types) defined by the Forest Ecosystem Classification (FEC) developed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Canada for northwestern Ontario. Two short-term common garden field trials and a greenhouse trial were established for each species. Significant differences were present among ecological groupings of seed sources for both species. These differences were expressed according to V-Types and S-Types based on first, second, and third year heights as well as needle flushing dates for jack pine and second year growth increments for black spruce. Rank differences among the groups based on FEC V-Types and S-Types were generally consistent for each of the two species although certain groups showed rank reversals at the two field trials. Apparently, selection pressures corresponding to different FEC V-Types and S-Types have resulted in a detectable pattern of adaptive variation for both jack pine and black spruce in northwestern Ontario. However, the management implications for these two species are uncertain since additional tests are required to verify these results.     

A Procedure for NEPA Assessment of Selenium Hazards Associated With Mining

This paper gives step-by-step instructions for assessing aquatic selenium hazards associated with mining. The procedure was developed to provide the U.S. Forest Service with a proactive capability for determining the risk of selenium pollution when it reviews mine permit applications in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The procedural framework is constructed in a decision-tree format in order to guide users through the various steps, provide a logical sequence for completing individual tasks, and identify key decision points. There are five major components designed to gather information on operational parameters of the proposed mine as well as key aspects of the physical, chemical, and biological environment surrounding it — geological assessment, mine operation assessment, hydrological assessment, biological assessment, and hazard assessment. Validation tests conducted at three mines where selenium pollution has occurred confirmed that the procedure will accurately predict ecological risks. In each case, it correctly identified and quantified selenium hazard, and indicated the steps needed to reduce this hazard to an acceptable level. By utilizing the procedure, NEPA workers can be confident in their ability to understand the risk of aquatic selenium pollution and take appropriate action. Although the procedure was developed for the Forest Service it should also be useful to other federal land management agencies that conduct NEPA assessments, as well as regulatory agencies responsible for issuing coal mining permits under the authority of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and associated Section 401 water quality certification under the Clean Water Act. Mining companies will also benefit from the application of this procedure because priority selenium sources can be identified in relation to specific mine operating parameters. The procedure will reveal the point(s) at which there is a need to modify operating conditions to meet environmental quality goals. By recognizing concerns early in the NEPA process, it may be possible for a mining company to match operational parameters with environmental requirements, thereby increasing the likelihood that the permit application will be approved.     

An Integrated Ecosystem Assessment of the Interior Columbia Basin

Driven by the need to replace interim direction, address recent species listings as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and break the gridlock of implementing actions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), initiated an effort to develop a scientifically-sound, ecosystem-based strategy for lands they administer in the Interior Columbia Basin. The effort included an integrated assessment of 58.3 million ha in seven states describing the Basin's current conditions and risks associated with different management strategies. The assessment provides the foundation for environmental impact statements outlining management direction for 31 million hectares of FS and BLM administered lands. The process produced a framework for ecosystem management, ecosystem component (social, economic, landscape, terrestrial, and aquatic) assessments, and estimates of ecological integrity and socioeconomic resiliency.     

Development and Validation of Ecological Indicators: an ORD Approach

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development (ORD) is continuing research efforts initiated by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program on ecological indicator development. An ORD Ecological Indicators Working Group has been formed with activities in three primary areas. (1) Guidelines and procedures are being developed to evaluate indicators for use in monitoring programs. Indicators will be evaluated on conceptual soundness, implementation, response variability, and interpretation/utility. The evaluation guidelines will be applied in peer review to endorse technically acceptable indicators and will provide research direction for improvements. (2) An ORD strategy for research in ecological indicators is being developed by the Working Group in collaboration with Division research scientists. The strategy will serve to prioritize research based on the greatest importance and uncertainty and identify goals for indicator development in both intramural and extramural programs. The research strategy includes application of the evaluation guidelines to identify relevant research questions. (3) Interactions with indicator client and user groups (states, program offices and regions) are actively being sought for successful development and implementation of indicators. Client indicator priorities are formally included in the research strategy and user feedback on indicators will help to identify relevant research questions. Consultations with users will serve to assist in evaluating, implementing, and interpreting indicators in monitoring programs.     

Use of Forest Ecosystem Classification systems in fire management

Forest Ecosystem Classification (FEC) systems have been used in the past mainly for forest management decision-making. FEC systems can also serve an important role for decision-making in other disciplines, such as fire management for both wildfire suppression and prescribed burning operations. FEC systems can provide an important means of identifying potential fuels that may be present on a forest site. This fuel information, in combination with current fire weather conditions, as determined by the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) system, can assist fire managers in determining potential fire behaviour if ignition should occur. FEC systems provide a means of identifying the possible presence of a live understory vegetation component, a fuel layer that has been largely ignored in the past due to a lack of information. Dense understory vegetation can produce a very moist microlimate that can effectively hinder fire spread. The use of FEC systems can help in setting priorities on which wildfires need to be attacked aggressively. For prescribed burning, FEC systems can assist in achieving burn objectives better and more safely.     

“十五”期间总站重点建设工作设想

根据总站的职责 ,结合总站的现实条件 ,提出了“十五”期间总站的四大重点建设工作 ,一是加快总站现代化建设步伐 ,建成全国环境质量研究中心、全国环境监测数据现代化监控中心、具有国际水平的环境监测分析测试中心、全国生态环境监测遥感应用中心、全国环境监测仪器质量监督检验中心等五个中心 ,建设现代化的总站业务大楼 ;二是强化监测基础技术的系统研究 ;三是培养监测领域专家和学科带头人 ;四是提升总站的现代化管理水平。     

Data,data everywhere but not a byte to read: Managing monitoring information

The problem of managing scientific information for widespread availability and use can be overwhelming. At Oregon State University, the Quantitative Sciences Group has found a workable solution. The group has developed a Forest Science Data Bank (FSDB) to house data generated by scientists and collaborating researchers in the Andrews Long-Term Ecological Research program. Today the FSDB houses some 2400 data sets from over 350 existing ecological studies and adds about 20 new studies yearly. This paper describes what we have learned in setting up the FSDB as a facility that can be used by researchers who both deposit information in and retrieve information from the FSDB.