Integration of Satellite Imagery and Forest Inventory in Mapping Dominant and Associated Species at a Regional Scale |
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Authors: | Yangjian Zhang Hong S He William D Dijak Jian Yang Stephen R Shifley Brian J Palik |
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Institution: | (1) School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;(2) Northern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, Columbia, MO 65211-7260, USA;(3) Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, USA |
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Abstract: | To achieve the overall objective of restoring natural environment and sustainable resource usability, each forest management
practice effect needs to be predicted using a simulation model. Previous simulation efforts were typically confined to public
land. Comprehensive forest management practices entail incorporating interactions between public and private land. To make
inclusion of private land into management planning feasible at the regional scale, this study uses a new method of combining
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data with remotely sensed forest group data to retrieve detailed species composition and
age information for the Missouri Ozark Highlands. Remote sensed forest group and land form data inferred from topography were
integrated to produce distinct combinations (ecotypes). Forest types and size classes were assigned to ecotypes based on their
proportions in the FIA data. Then tree species and tree age determined from FIA subplots stratified by forest type and size
class were assigned to pixels for the entire study area. The resulting species composition map can improve simulation model
performance in that it has spatially explicit and continuous information of dominant and associated species, and tree ages
that are unavailable from either satellite imagery or forest inventory data. In addition, the resulting species map revealed
that public land and private land in Ozark Highlands differ in species composition and stand size. Shortleaf pine is a co-dominant
species in public land, whereas it becomes a minor species in private land. Public forest is older than private forest. Both
public and private forests have deviated from historical forest condition in terms of species composition. Based on possible
reasons causing the deviation discussed in this study, corresponding management avenues that can assist in restoring natural
environment were recommended. |
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Keywords: | Ecoregion Forest Inventory and Analysis Land ownership Landsat Thematic Mapper Species composition Stand size |
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