Distribution of herbs and shrubs in relation to landform and canopy cover in riparian forests of coastal Oregon

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J Pabst ◽  
Thomas A Spies
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Valley Floor ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

In this study we characterized the distribution of herb and shrub species relative to landform and forest canopy attributes of streamside forests in the moist, conifer-dominated mountains of coastal Oregon. Species cover and environmental data were collected along transects at 94 sites. Species with relatively similar distributions were classified into 10 species groups to identify major patterns in the vegetation. Although these patterns were highly variable, ordination and gradient analyses indicated that vegetation composition is ordered along a complex environmental gradient running from streamside to hillslope. Similarly, species diversity followed a decreasing trend from active fluvial surfaces to lower hillslopes. Vegetation patterns were related to specific landforms, topographic positions, microsites, and coniferous tree cover within the trans-riparian gradient. We hypothesize that the environmental features correlated with these patterns are surrogates for the underlying mechanisms responsible for them. These are (i) hillslope processes and associated moisture gradients; (ii) hydrological disturbance; (iii) tolerance of saturated, valley-floor soils; (iv) shade tolerance; and (v) mineral soil disturbance. This study indicates that valley-floor and lower-slope plant communities are distinct elements in these forest landscapes, supporting the assumption that riparian zones require a different management and conservation strategy than upland forest communities.Key words: riparian vegetation, ordination, gradient analysis, species groups, landform. Nomenclature is based on that of Hitchcock and Cronquist (1973).

scholarly journals Forest canopy, a proxi of light intensity, arrests Pinus radiata invasion: basic science to conserve the Coastal Maulino forest, Central Chile

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Persy Gómez ◽  
Maureen Murúa ◽  
José San Martín ◽  
Estefany Goncalves ◽  
Ramiro Bustamante
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Radiata ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Maulino Forest

ABSTRACTCoastal Maulino forest is an endemic forest of central Chile, which has suffered a large history of disturbance, being replaced by large extensions of Pinus radiata plantations. This land transformation conveys high rates of pines invasion into native remnants. In this study we examined to what extent structural features of forest patches explains invisibility of this forest-type. Within eight forest fragments, we sampled 162 plots (10 x 10 m2 each). We quantified seedling pine density and related this estimates with tree cover, litter depth, PAR radiation, and diversity of the resident community. Our results indicate that canopy cover was the most important variable to determine seedling pine density within forest fragments. To preserve the Coastal Maulino forest and the biodiversity containing on it, it seems to be necessary to maintain the native canopy cover. These actions can be highly effective even if we cannot avoid a massive seed arrival from pine plantations which will be unable to regenerate under well conserved native forests.

scholarly journals Shade-tree rehabilitation in vanilla agroforests is yield neutral and may translate into landscape-scale canopy cover gains

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic A. Martin ◽  
Annemarie Wurz ◽  
Kristina Osen ◽  
Ingo Grass ◽  
Dirk Hölscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Shade Tree ◽  
Open Land

Agroforestry can contribute to an increase in tree cover in historically forested tropical landscapes with associated gains in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but only if established on open land instead of underneath a forest canopy. However, declines in yields with increasing shade are common across agroforestry crops, driving shade-tree removal in forest-derived agroforests and hindering tree regrowth in open-land-derived agroforests. To understand trajectories of change in tree cover in forest- and open-land-derived agroforests and the impacts of tree cover on vanilla yields, we studied 209 vanilla agroforests along an 88-year chronosequence in Madagascar. Additionally, we used remotely-sensed canopy cover data to investigate tree cover change in the agricultural landscape. We found yields to vary widely but independently of canopy cover and land-use history (forest- vs. open-land-derived), averaging at 154.6 kg ha-1 yr-1 (SD = 186.9). Furthermore, we found that forest- and open-land-derived vanilla agroforests gained canopy cover over time, but that only open-land-derived agroforests gained canopy height. Canopy cover increased also at the landscape scale: areas in the agricultural landscape with medium initial canopy cover gained 6.4% canopy cover over 10 years, but canopy cover decreased in areas with high initial canopy cover. These opposing trends suggest tree cover rehabilitation across areas covered by vanilla agroforests, whereas remnant forest fragments in the agricultural landscape were transformed or degraded. Our results indicate that yield-neutral tree rehabilitation through open-land-derived agroforestry could, if coupled with effective forest protection, provide mutually beneficial outcomes for ecosystem functions and agricultural production in a smallholder-dominated agricultural landscape.

scholarly journals Gainesville's Urban Forest Canopy Cover

EDIS ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Escobedo ◽  
Jennifer A. Seitz ◽  
Wayne Zipperer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Urban Tree ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Urban Tree Cover ◽  
Tree Composition ◽  
Over Time

FOR-215, a 3-page illustrated fact sheet by Francisco Escobedo, Jennifer A. Seitz, and Wayne Zipperer, examines how tree cover changes over time, how tree composition and location influence urban forest canopy and leaf area, and how tree and ground surface covers vary across Gainesville. Includes references. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, March 2009.   FOR 215/FR277: Gainesville Florida's Urban Tree Cover (ufl.edu)  

scholarly journals Potential improvement for forest cover and forest degradation mapping with the forthcoming Sentinel-2 program

2015 ◽  
Vol XL-7/W3 ◽  
pp. 417-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Hojas-Gascon ◽  
A. Belward ◽  
H. Eva ◽  
G. Ceccherini ◽  
O. Hagolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sentinel 2

The forthcoming European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 mission promises to provide high (10 m) resolution optical data at higher temporal frequencies (5 day revisit with two operational satellites) than previously available. CNES, the French national space agency, launched a program in 2013, ‘SPOT4 take 5’, to simulate such a dataflow using the SPOT HRV sensor, which has similar spectral characteristics to the Sentinel sensor, but lower (20m) spatial resolution. Such data flow enables the analysis of the satellite images using temporal analysis, an approach previously restricted to lower spatial resolution sensors. We acquired 23 such images over Tanzania for the period from February to June 2013. The data were analysed with aim of discriminating between different forest cover percentages for landscape units of 0.5 ha over a site characterised by deciduous intact and degraded forests. The SPOT data were processed by one extracting temporal vegetation indices. We assessed the impact of the high acquisition rate with respect to the current rate of one image every 16 days. Validation data, giving the percentage of forest canopy cover in each land unit were provided by very high resolution satellite data. Results show that using the full temporal series it is possible to discriminate between forest units with differences of more than 40% tree cover or more. Classification errors fell exclusively into the adjacent forest canopy cover class of 20% or less. The analyses show that forestation mapping and degradation monitoring will be substantially improved with the Sentinel-2 program.

scholarly journals Shade-Tree Rehabilitation in Vanilla Agroforests is Yield Neutral and May Translate into Landscape-Scale Canopy Cover Gains

Ecosystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Andreas Martin ◽  
Annemarie Wurz ◽  
Kristina Osen ◽  
Ingo Grass ◽  
Dirk Hölscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Shade Tree ◽  
Open Land

AbstractAgroforestry can contribute to an increase in tree cover in historically forested tropical landscapes with associated gains in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but only if established on open land instead of underneath a forest canopy. However, declines in yields with increasing shade are common across agroforestry crops, driving shade-tree removal in forest-derived agroforests and hindering tree regrowth in open-land-derived agroforests. To understand trajectories of change in tree cover in forest- and open-land-derived agroforests, and the impacts of tree cover on vanilla yields, we studied 209 vanilla agroforests along an 88-year chronosequence in Madagascar. Additionally, we used remotely sensed canopy cover data to investigate tree cover change in the agricultural landscape. We found yields to vary widely but independently of canopy cover and land-use history (forest- vs. open-land-derived), averaging at 154.6 kg ha−1 year−1 (SD = 186.9). Furthermore, we found that forest- and open-land-derived vanilla agroforests gained canopy cover over time, but that only open-land-derived agroforests gained canopy height. Canopy cover increased also at the landscape scale: areas in the agricultural landscape with medium initial canopy cover gained 6.4% canopy cover over 10 years, but canopy cover decreased in areas with high initial canopy cover. These opposing trends suggest tree cover rehabilitation across areas covered by vanilla agroforests, whereas remnant forest fragments in the agricultural landscape were transformed or degraded. Our results indicate that yield-neutral tree rehabilitation through open-land-derived agroforestry could, if coupled with effective forest protection, provide benefits for both ecosystem functions and agricultural production in a smallholder-dominated agricultural landscape.

scholarly journals Diversity of Medicinal Plants among Different Tree Canopies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2640
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zubair ◽  
Akash Jamil ◽  
Syed Bilal Hussain ◽  
Ahsan Ul Haq ◽  
Ahmad Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Floral Diversity ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Closed Canopy

The moist temperate forests in Northern Pakistan are home to a variety of flora and fauna that are pivotal in sustaining the livelihoods of the local communities. In these forests, distribution and richness of vegetation, especially that of medicinal plants, is rarely reported. In this study, we carried out a vegetation survey in District Balakot, located in Northeastern Pakistan, to characterize the diversity of medicinal plants under different canopies of coniferous forest. The experimental site was divided into three major categories (viz., closed canopy, open spaces, and partial tree cover). A sampling plot of 100 m2 was established on each site to measure species diversity, dominance, and evenness. To observe richness and abundance, the rarefaction and rank abundance curves were plotted. Results revealed that a total of 45 species representing 34 families were available in the study site. Medicinal plants were the most abundant (45%) followed by edible plants (26%). Tree canopy cover affected the overall growth of medicinal plants on the basis of abundance and richness. The site with partial canopy exhibited the highest diversity, dominance, and abundance compared to open spaces and closed canopy. These findings are instrumental in identifying the wealth of the medicinal floral diversity in the northeastern temperate forest of Balakot and the opportunity to sustain the livelihoods of local communities with the help of public/private partnership.

scholarly journals Estimating Forest Canopy Cover by Multiscale Remote Sensing in Northeast Jiangxi, China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
Xiaolan Huang ◽  
Weicheng Wu ◽  
Tingting Shen ◽  
Lifeng Xie ◽  
Yaozu Qin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Landsat Data ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Modis Ndvi ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover

This research was focused on estimation of tree canopy cover (CC) by multiscale remote sensing in south China. The key aim is to establish the relationship between CC and woody NDVI (NDVIW) or to build a CC-NDVIW model taking northeast Jiangxi as an example. Based on field CC measurements, this research used Google Earth as a complementary source to measure CC. In total, 63 sample plots of CC were created, among which 45 were applied for modeling and the remaining 18 were employed for verification. In order to ascertain the ratio R of NDVIW to the satellite observed NDVI, a 20-year time-series MODIS NDVI dataset was utilized for decomposition to obtain the NDVIW component, and then the ratio R was calculated with the equation R = (NDVIW/NDVI) *100%, respectively, for forest (CC >60%), medium woodland (CC = 25–60%) and sparse woodland (CC 1–25%). Landsat TM and OLI images that had been orthorectified by the provider USGS were atmospherically corrected using the COST model and used to derive NDVIL. R was multiplied for the NDVIL image to extract the woody NDVI (NDVIWL) from Landsat data for each of these plots. The 45 plots of CC data were linearly fitted to the NDVIWL, and a model with CC = 103.843 NDVIW + 6.157 (R2 = 0.881) was obtained. This equation was applied to predict CC at the 18 verification plots and a good agreement was found (R2 = 0.897). This validated CC-NDVIW model was further applied to the woody NDVI of forest, medium woodland and sparse woodland derived from Landsat data for regional CC estimation. An independent group of 24 measured plots was utilized for validation of the results, and an accuracy of 83.0% was obtained. Thence, the developed model has high predictivity and is suitable for large-scale estimation of CC using high-resolution data.

Forest canopy cover analysis using UAS lidar

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingwang Liu ◽  
Shiming Li ◽  
Kailong Hu ◽  
Yong Pang ◽  
Zengyuan Li
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Canopy Cover

Silvicultural treatments, microclimatic conditions and seedling response in Southern Interior clearcuts

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Fleming ◽  
T. A. Black ◽  
R. S. Adams ◽  
R. J. Stathers
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Lower Elevation ◽  
Organic Horizons ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions

Post-harvest levels of soil disturbance and vegetation regrowth strongly influence microclimate conditions, and this has important implications for seedling establishment. We examined the effects of blading (scalping), soil loosening (ripping) and vegetation control (herbicide), as well as no soil disturbance, on growing season microclimates and 3-yr seedling response on two grass-dominated clearcuts at different elevations in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Warmer soil temperatures were obtained by removing surface organic horizons. Ripping produced somewhat higher soil temperatures than scalping at the drier, lower-elevation site, but slightly reduced soil temperatures at the wetter, higher-elevation site. Near-surface air temperatures were more extreme (higher daily maximums and lower daily minimums) over the control than over exposed mineral soil. Root zone soil moisture deficits largely reflected transpiration by competing vegetation; vegetation removal was effective in improving soil moisture availability at the lower elevation site, but unnecessary from this perspective at the higher elevation site. The exposed mineral surfaces self-mulched and conserved soil moisture after an initial period of high evaporation. Ripping and scalping resulted in somewhat lower near-surface available soil water storage capacities. Seedling establishment on both clearcuts was better following treatments which removed vegetation and surface organic horizons and thus enhanced microclimatic conditions, despite reducing nutrient supply. Such treatments may, however, compromise subsequent stand development through negative impacts on site nutrition. Temporal changes in the relative importance of different physical (microclimate) and chemical (soil nutrition) properties to soil processes and plant growth need to be considered when evaluating site productivity. Key words: Microclimate, soil temperature, air temperature, soil moisture, clearcut, seedling establishment

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