scholarly journals Multiple-Scale Relationships between Vegetation, the Wildland–Urban Interface, and Structure Loss to Wildfire in California

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Alexandra D. Syphard ◽  
Heather Rustigian-Romsos ◽  
Jon E. Keeley
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Multiple Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface

Recent increases in destructive wildfires are driving a need for empirical research documenting factors that contribute to structure loss. Existing studies show that fire risk is complex and varies geographically, and the role of vegetation has been especially difficult to quantify. Here, we evaluated the relative importance of vegetation cover at local (measured through the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and landscape (as measured through the Wildland–Urban Interface) scales in explaining structure loss from 2013 to 2018 in California—statewide and divided across three regions. Generally, the pattern of housing relative to vegetation better explained structure loss than local-scale vegetation amount, but the results varied regionally. This is likely because exposure to fire is a necessary first condition for structure survival, and sensitivity is only relevant once the fire reaches there. The relative importance of other factors such as long-term climatic variability, distance to powerlines, and elevation also varied among regions. These suggest that effective fire risk reduction strategies may need to account for multiple factors at multiple scales. The geographical variability in results also reinforces the notion that “one size does not fit all”. Local-scale empirical research on specific vegetation characteristics relative to structure loss is needed to inform the most effective customized plan.

Interpreting federal policy at the local level: the wildland - urban interface concept in wildfire protection planning in the eastern United States

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Grayzeck-Souter ◽  
Kristen C. Nelson ◽  
Rachel F. Brummel ◽  
Pamela Jakes ◽  
Daniel R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Local Response ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface ◽  
Fuels Reduction ◽  
Eastern Usa ◽  
Healthy Forests Restoration Act

In 2003, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) called for USA communities at risk of wildfire to develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) requiring local, state and federal actors to work together to address hazardous fuels reduction and mitigation efforts. CWPPs can provide the opportunity for local government to influence actions on adjacent public land, by establishing local boundaries of the wildland–urban interface (WUI), the area where urban lands meet or intermix with wildlands. The present paper explores local response to the HFRA and CWPPs in the eastern USA, specifically if and how communities are using the policy incentive to identify the WUI. We conducted document reviews of eastern CWPPs, as well as qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with participants in four case studies. We found tremendous variation in local response to HFRA, with plans completed at multiple scales and using different planning templates. The WUI policy incentive was not used in all CWPPs, suggesting that the incentive is not as useful in the eastern USA, where public land is less dominant and the perceived fire risk is lower than in the West. Even so, many communities in the East completed CWPPs to improve their wildfire preparedness.

scholarly journals Relation of leaf water content with real evapotranspiration and biomass in Caatinga biome, using remote sensing data

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1545
Author(s):  
Josiclêda Domiciano Galvíncio
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Leaf Water Content ◽  
Content Index ◽  
Caatinga Biome

R E S U M OA Caatinga é um biome que sofre com grande variabilidade climática anual e intraanual. Essa variabilidade climática faz com que o bioma em grande parte do ano sofra com grande estresse hídrico. Estudar as relações existentes entre o conteúdo de água na planta e outras variáveis do ecossistemas, tais como: biomassa e evapotranspiração pode auxiliar e prever impactos da escassez hídrica e seca climatológica sobre a produção de biomassa do bioma Caatinga. Assim, este estudo pretende analisar as relações existentes entre o conteúdo de água na folha com a biomassa e evapotranspiração em área do bioma caatinga localizado em São José do Sabugi, Paraiba, Brasil. Foi utilizado o algoritmo SEBAL-Surface Energy Balance para estimar a evapotranspiração e o foram calculados os índices de vegetação NDVI- Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, SAVI- Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index e o índice de conteúdo de água na folha LWCI- Leaf Water Content Index. Os resultados mostraram uma boa relação existente entre os índices de vegetação e o conteúdo de água na folha, sendo r=0.76 para o SAVI e 0.64 para o NDVI. Para a evapotranspiração a correlação foi de r =0.386. Conclui-se que a quantidade de água na folha está altamente correlacionada com a biomassa.Palavra chave: bioma, sazonalidade, seca, semiárido. A B S T R A C TThe Caatinga is a biome that suffers from high annual and intra-annual climatic variability. This climatic variability makes the biome in great part of the year suffer with high great water stress. To study the relationships between water content in the plant and other ecosystem variables, such as: biomass and evapotranspiration can help and predict impacts of water scarcity and climatological drought on the biomass production of the Caatinga biome. Thus, this study intends to analyze the relationship between water content in the leaf with biomass and evapotranspiration in the area of the caatinga biome located in São José do Sabugi, Paraiba, Brazil. The SEBAL-Surface Energy Balance algorithm was used to estimate the evapotranspiration and NDVI-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, SAVI-Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index and the water content index in the LWCI- Leaf Water Content Index. were calculated. The results showed a good relationship between vegetation index and leaf water content, with r = 0.76 for SAVI and 0.64 for NDVI. For evapotranspiration the correlation was r = 0.386. It is concluded that the amount of water in the leaf is highly correlated with the biomass.Keywords: biome, seasonality, dry, semiarid

scholarly journals Mapping Forest Fire Risk—A Case Study in Galicia (Spain)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 3705
Author(s):  
Ana Novo ◽  
Noelia Fariñas-Álvarez ◽  
Joaquín Martínez-Sánchez ◽  
Higinio González-Jorge ◽  
José María Fernández-Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Fuel Model ◽  
Forest Fire Risk

The optimization of forest management in roadsides is a necessary task in terms of wildfire prevention in order to mitigate their effects. Forest fire risk assessment identifies high-risk locations, while providing a decision-making support about vegetation management for firefighting. In this study, nine relevant parameters: elevation, slope, aspect, road distance, settlement distance, fuel model types, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), fire weather index (FWI), and historical fire regimes, were considered as indicators of the likelihood of a forest fire occurrence. The parameters were grouped in five categories: topography, vegetation, FWI, historical fire regimes, and anthropogenic issues. This paper presents a novel approach to forest fire risk mapping the classification of vegetation in fuel model types based on the analysis of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) was incorporated. The criteria weights that lead to fire risk were computed by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and applied to two datasets located in NW Spain. Results show that approximately 50% of the study area A and 65% of the study area B are characterized as a 3-moderate fire risk zone. The methodology presented in this study will allow road managers to determine appropriate vegetation measures with regards to fire risk. The automation of this methodology is transferable to other regions for forest prevention planning and fire mitigation.

scholarly journals Temporal Patterns of Precipitation and Vegetation Variability over Zimbabwe during Extreme Dry and Wet Rainfall Seasons

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 2790-2804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Mberego ◽  
Juliet Gwenzi
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Dry Seasons

AbstractClimatic variability over southern Africa is a well-recognized phenomenon, yet knowledge about the temporal variability of extreme seasons is lacking. This study investigates the intraseasonal progression of extreme seasons over Zimbabwe using precipitation and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data covering the 1981–2005 period. Results show that the greatest deficits/surpluses of precipitation occur during the middle of the rainfall season (January and February), and the temporal distribution of precipitation during extreme dry seasons seems to shift earlier than that of extreme wet seasons. Furthermore, anomalous wet (dry) conditions were observed prior to the development of extreme dry (wet) seasons. Impacts of precipitation variations on vegetation lag by approximately 1–2 months. The semiarid southern region experiences more variability of vegetation cover than do the northern and eastern regions. Three distinct temporal patterns of dry years were noted by considering the maximum NDVI level, the mid-postseason NDVI condition, and nested dry spells. The findings of this study emphasize that climate extremes ought not to be simply understood in terms of total seasonal precipitation, because they may have within them some nested distribution patterns that may have a strong influence on primary production.

scholarly journals Inter and intra-annual links between climate, tree growth and NDVI: improving the resolution of drought proxies in conifer forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marín Pompa-García ◽  
J. Julio Camarero ◽  
Michele Colangelo ◽  
Marcos González-Cásares
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Forest Productivity ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Wood Production ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
High Production ◽  
Earlywood Width

AbstractThe inter- and intra-annual variability in radial growth reflects responses to climatic variability and water shortage, especially in areas subjected to seasonal drought. However, it is unknown how this variability is related to forest productivity, which can be assessed by measuring changes in canopy greenness and cover through remote sensing products as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We combine xylogenesis with measurements of inter-annual changes in seasonal wood production (earlywood width, adjusted latewood width) and NDVI to improve the understanding of climate and drought impacts on growth and forest productivity in a Pinus teocote stand located in northern Mexico. Cambial dynamics accelerated in March and a high production of radially enlarging and thickening tracheids were observed from April to October and from June to October, respectively. Tracheid maturation was very active in October when latewood production peaked. Wet conditions in winter-spring and summer-autumn enhanced earlywood and latewood production, respectively. Earlywood and latewood were constrained by long (4–10 months) and short (2–3 months) droughts, respectively. The earlywood production depended on April soil moisture, which agrees with the peak of radially enlarging tracheid production found during that month. Aligning drought proxies at inter- and intra-annual scales by using growth and productivity measures improves our understanding of conifer forest responses to water shortage.

scholarly journals Drought responsiveness in two Mexican conifer species forming young stands at high elevations

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. e012-e012
Author(s):  
Eduardo D. Vivar-Vivar ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Precipitation Regime ◽  
Seasonal Drought ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Abies Religiosa

Aim of study: To determine the response of high-altitudinal forests to seasonal drought. Area of study: Monte Tláloc, Estado de México and Rancho Joyas del Durazno, Municipality of Río Verde, San Luis Potosí, México. Materials and methods: In this study, we evaluate the response to drought and hydroclimate in two young Mexican conifers sampled at high elevation, correlating records of tree-ring growth and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Main results: The results show that Pinus teocote and Abies religiosa are vulnerable to the precipitation regime and warm conditions of winter-spring. The physiological response mechanisms seem to be differentiated between the species, according to the effects of drought stress. The NDVI demonstrated the different temporal responses of the species according to their inherent physiological mechanisms in response to hydroclimatic limitations. This differentiation can be attributed to the spatial variation present in the particular physical and geographic conditions of each area. The dry and warm seasonal climates reveal P. teocote and A. religiosa to be species that are vulnerable to drought conditions. However, further evaluation of the resistance and resilience of these species is necessary, as well as disentanglement of the effects of associated mechanisms that can influence the predicted processes of extinction or migration. Research highlights: Pinus teocote and Abies religiosa are vulnerable to the seasonal drought conditions. These results are of particular importance given the climatic scenarios predicted for elevated ecotones. Tree-ring widths and NDVI improved the response of radial growth to the climate, enhancing our understanding of forest growth dynamics. The response to climatic variability depends on the particular species.

scholarly journals ФИТОИНДИКАЦИОННАЯ ОЦЕНКА СОВРЕМЕННЫХ ЛАНДШАФТНО-ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ТЕНДЕЦИЙ В ГЕОСИСТЕМАХ ЛОКАЛЬНОГО УРОВНЯ

2021 ◽  
pp. 4-10
Author(s):  
Андрей Петрович Гусев
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Ambrosia Artemisiifolia ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
History Of

Цель работы – оценка ландшафтно-экологических тенденций в геосистемах локального уровня на примере юго-востока Беларуси. Объекты исследования – природно-антропогенные ландшафты, представленные 5 тестовыми участками. Для оценки современных ландшафтно-экологических тенденций разработан комплекс показателей, получаемых на основе наземных и дистанционных исследований растительного покрова. Дается анализ и оценка экологической стабильности, фрагментации лесного покрова, процессов дигрессивной динамики растительности, восстановительных сукцессий на территории тестовых участков. Изучено влияние климатических факторов на биопродуктивность геосистем тестовых участков. Наиболее чувствительными к климатическим изменениями являются пахотные геосистемы. При потеплении климата в регионе наибольший рост напряженности ландшафтно-экологической тенденции прогнозируется на участке «Поколюбичи». Библиографические ссылки 1. Агроэкология / Под ред. В.А. Черникова, А.И. Чекереса. М.: Колос, 2000. 536 с.2. Виноградов Б.В. Основы ландшафтной экологии. М.: ГЕОС, 1998. 418 с.3. Гусев А.П. Потенциал самовосстановления геосистем и его оценка на основе фитоиндикации // Вестник Белорусского государственного университета. Сер. 2. 2010. №1. С. 77–81.4. Гусев А.П. Диагностика ландшафтно-экологических ситуаций на основе фитоиндикации // Вестник ВГУ. Серия: География. Геоэкология. 2016. №4. С. 77–83.5. Гусев А.П. Индикаторы ландшафтно-экологических тенденций (на примере Восточной части Белорусского Полесья) // Вестник ВГУ. Сер. География. Геоэкология. 2018. №2. С.28–33.6. Гусев А.П. Дистанционные индикаторы ландшафтно-экологических тенденций (на примере юго-востока Беларуси) // Ученые записки Крымского федерального университета им. В.И. Вернадского. География. Геология. 2019. Т. 5, №3. С. 127–135.7. Гусев А.П. Изменения NDVI как индикатор динамики экологического состояния ландшафтов (на примере восточной части Полесской провинции) // Вестник ВГУ. Сер. География. Геоэкология. 2020. №1. С. 101–107.8. Заиканов В.Г., Минакова Т.Б. Геоэкологическая оценка территорий. М.: Наука, 2005. 319 с.9. Коломыц Э.Г. Лесные экосистемы Волжского бассейна в условиях глобального потепления (локальный экологический прогноз) // Экология. 2009. №1. С. 9–21.10. Кочуров Б.И. Геоэкология: экодиагностика и эколого-хозяйственный баланс территорий. Смоленск: Маджента, 2003. 500 с.11. Логинов В.Ф. Климатические условия Беларуси за период инструментальных наблюдений // Наука и инновации. 2016. №9. С. 25–29.12. Шерстюков Б.Г., Шерстюков А.Б. Лесные пожары при потеплении климата в XXI веке // Проблемы экологического мониторинга и моделирования экосистем. 2013. Т. 25. С. 300–314.13. Mang T., Essl F., Moser D., Dullinger S. Climate warming drives invasion history of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in central Europe // Preslia. 2018. V. 90. P. 59–81.14. Yengoh G.T., Dent D., Olsson L., Tengberg A.E., Tucker C.J. The use of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to assess land degradation at multiple scales: a review of the current status, future trends, and practical considerations. Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies – LUCSUS, 2014. 80 p.

scholarly journals Changes in Meadow Phenology in Response to Grazing Management at Multiple Scales of Measurement

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 4028
Author(s):  
William Richardson ◽  
Tamzen K. Stringham ◽  
Wade Lieurance ◽  
Keirith A. Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Vegetative Communities ◽  
The Relationship

Riparian and ground-water dependent ecosystems found in the Great Basin of North America are heavily utilized by livestock and wildlife throughout the year. Due to this constant pressure, grazing can be a major influence on many groundwater dependent resources. It is important for land managers to understand how intensity and timing of grazing affect the temporal availability of these commodities (i.e., biodiversity, water filtration, forage, habitat). Shifts in forage or water availability could potentially be harmful for fauna that rely on them at specific times of the year. Seven meadow communities, each consisting of three distinct vegetative communities, were grazed at three intensities to determine the relationship between grazing management and phenological timing of vegetation. The agreement of on-the-ground measurements, near-surface digital cameras (phenocams), and satellite-based indices of greenness was examined for a two-year period (2019–2020) over these grazing and vegetative community gradients. Field determined phenology, phenocam Green Chromatic Coordinate (GCC), and Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were all highly correlated and the relationship did not change across the treatments. Timing of growth varied in these ecosystems depending on yearly precipitation and vegetative type. Communities dominated by mesic sedges had growing seasons which stopped earlier in the year. Heavier grazing regimes, however, did not equate to significant changes in growing season. Ultimately, shifts in phenology occurred and were successfully monitored at various spatial and temporal scales.

scholarly journals A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Rainfall and Drought Monitoring in the Tharparkar Region of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 580
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Janet E. Nichol
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Vegetation Indices ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Spatial Estimates ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Rainfall Estimates

The Tharpakar desert region of Pakistan supports a population approaching two million, dependent on rain-fed agriculture as the main livelihood. The almost doubling of population in the last two decades, coupled with low and variable rainfall, makes this one of the world’s most food-insecure regions. This paper examines satellite-based rainfall estimates and biomass data as a means to supplement sparsely distributed rainfall stations and to provide timely estimates of seasonal growth indicators in farmlands. Satellite dekadal and monthly rainfall estimates gave good correlations with ground station data, ranging from R = 0.75 to R = 0.97 over a 19-year period, with tendency for overestimation from the Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission (TRMM) and underestimation from Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) datasets. CHIRPS was selected for further modeling, as overestimation from TRMM implies the risk of under-predicting drought. The use of satellite rainfall products from CHIRPS was also essential for derivation of spatial estimates of phenological variables and rainfall criteria for comparison with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-based biomass productivity. This is because, in this arid region where drought is common and rainfall unpredictable, determination of phenological thresholds based on vegetation indices proved unreliable. Mapped rainfall distributions across Tharparkar were found to differ substantially from those of maximum biomass (NDVImax), often showing low NDVImax in zones of higher annual rainfall, and vice versa. This mismatch occurs in both wet and dry years. Maps of rainfall intensity suggest that low yields often occur in areas with intense rain causing damage to ripening crops, and that total rainfall in a season is less important than sustained water supply. Correlations between rainfall variables and NDVImax indicate the difficulty of predicting drought early in the growing season in this region of extreme climatic variability. Mapped rainfall and biomass distributions can be used to recommend settlement in areas of more consistent rainfall.

scholarly journals Vegetation Dynamics and Their Response to Climatic Variability in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Zhang ◽  
Linli Cui ◽  
Jun Shi ◽  
Peipei Wei
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Vegetation Activity ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Response To Temperature

Based on SPOT VEGETATION data and meteorological data, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and its response to temperature and precipitation in China and its different regions were investigated over the period 1998–2013 by using the maximum value composite and linear regression methods. The results showed that NDVI presented significant increase (0.0046/a) for all of China and all the regions over the last 16 years. Meanwhile, annual mean temperature of China presented a slightly increasing trend, while the annual precipitation showed a slightly decreasing trend over the last 16 years. Nevertheless, there were differences between temperature and precipitation in the subregions of China. The Annual NDVI had better relationships with precipitation (r=0.126) compared to temperature (r=-0.094), and NDVI also had a good correlation with precipitation rather than temperature in different subregions of China. Additionally, human activities also made a difference to the trends of NDVI in some regions. This study is conductive to the effects of climate change on vegetation activity in future research.

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