Using Discrete-Point LiDAR to Classify Tree Species in the Riparian Pacific Northwest, USA

Practical methods for tree species identification are important for both land management and scientific inquiry. LiDAR has been widely used for species mapping due to its ability to characterize 3D structure, but in structurally complex Pacific Northwest forests, additional research is needed. To address this need and to determine the feasibility of species modeling in such forests, we compared six approaches using five algorithms available in R’s lidR package and Trimble’s eCognition software to determine which approach most consistently identified individual trees across a heterogenous riparian landscape. We then classified segments into Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa), and red alder (Alnus rubra). Classification accuracies based on the best-performing segmentation method were 91%, 92%, and 84%, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate tree species modeling from LiDAR in a natural Pacific Northwest forest, and the first to model Pacific Northwest species at the landscape scale. Our results suggest that LiDAR alone may provide enough information on tree species to be useful to land managers in limited applications, even under structurally challenging conditions. With slight changes to the modeling approach, even higher accuracies may be possible.

OBJECT-BASED CHANGE DETECTION ON ACACIA XANTHOPHLOEA SPECIES DEGRADATION ALONG LAKE NAKURU RIPARIAN RESERVE

Automated mapping of heterogeneous riparian landscape is of high interest to assess our planet. Still, it remains a challenging task due to the occurrence of flooded vegetation. While both optical and radar images can be exploited, the latter has the advantage of being independent acquisition conditions. However, and despite their popularity, the threshold-based approaches commonly used present some drawbacks such as not taking into account the spatial context and providing mixed pixels within class boundaries. In this study, we propose a novel methodology to avoid such issues by using an object-based image analysis approach on polarimetric radar data. We use our workflow to map the degrading Acacia x. species along lake Nakuru Riparian reserve, and obtain highly-accurate results.

Using Graph Networks to Quantify the Cumulative Importance of Riparian Wetlands within a Watershed

Wetlands provide many valuable ecosystem functions including nutrient cycling and retention, sediment capture, flood reduction, carbon storage, and habitat for water-dependent plant and wildlife species. The alteration of landscapes and the deterioration of upstream wetlands have been determined to be detrimental to downstream stream and watershed health. The position of the wetland in the landscape and its quality and size can significantly change the influence it has on stream condition. This research tests the efficacy of graphed networks created from the terrestrial-wetland-stream landscape to quantify the cumulative benefits of riparian wetlands within a watershed. We tested a combination of network parameters such as node degree, betweenness centrality, and the integral index of connectivity. Graphed networks are created by nodes that are connected by edges. Nodes were defined as stream reaches that extend out to the riparian landscape and edges as the stream confluences that connect them. Nodes were weighted by their capacity to perform ecosystem functions and the opportunity for such functions. We found that the network-based approach can quantify the impact of riparian wetland loss revealing that some riparian losses within the watershed were inherently worse than others at reducing connectivity and cumulative wetland function within the watershed. Incorporating these network metrics into wetland assessments can quantify the cumulative influence of geographic position, wetland function and size on overall wetland benefits within the watershed. This new approach can be applied to watershed planning efforts to assist managers with identifying wetlands for protection, enhancement, and re-establishment.

DESAIN LANSKAP SEMPADAN SUNGAI BERBASIS PREFERENSI MASYARAKAT DI SEGMEN JALAN RADAR AURI, JAKARTA TIMUR (Preferenced-based Riparian Landscape Design of Cipinang River in The Radar Auri Street Segment, East Jakarta)

AbstrakJakarta Timur adalah kota administrasi terluas di provinsi DKI Jakarta. Laju pembangunan kota yang semakin meningkat menyebabkan daya tampung dan daya dukung lingkungan kota semakin menurun sehingga memicu timbulnya permasalahan sosial, ekosistem lingkungan daratan maupun akuatik. Lanskap sempadan Sungai merupakan aspek penting dari konstruksi lanskap perkotaan. Lanskap sempadan Sungai Cipinang memiliki fungsi ekologis, estetika dan sosial. Masyarakat merupakan kunci bagi terciptanya kehidupan sosial yang berkelanjutan dalam sebuah taman lingkungan. Untuk memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat di taman lingkungan perlu adanya keterlibatan masyarakat sekitar dengan mempelajari preferensi masyarakat sekitar terhadap taman. Oleh karena itu, dibutuhkan desain taman lingkungan berdasarkan preferensi masyarakat sekitar untuk menciptakan sebuah taman lingkungan yang fungsional, estetis, ekologis, dan berkelanjutan. Proses desain lanskap sempadan Sungai Cipinang dilakukan melalui beberapa tahap, yaitu: tahap pengumpulan data, tahap analisis dan sintesiskonsep, dan desain. Konsep yang digunakan dalam taman lingkungan ini adalah Taman Olahraga dan Olah jiwa dengan memilih tanaman kangkung air sebagai konsep desain. Konsep ini dipilih untuk menjaga dan memelihara lingkungan sempadan sungai serta memberikan ruang olahraga, area rekreasi dan meningkatkan interaksi antar masyarakat sekitar. Setelah dilakukan proses desain, dihasilkan 3 model pilihan desain dan satu diantaranya menjadi sebuah siteplan yang digunakan sebagai gambar acuan dalam proses pembuatan gambar kerja. Siteplan dilengkapi dengan gambar tampak potongan, perspektif, detail desain, dan rencana penanaman.AbstractEast Jakarta is the largest administrative city in the province of DKI Jakarta. The increasing space of urban development causes the capacity and the carrying capacity of the urban environment to decrease, thus triggering the emergence of social problems, ecosystems of the land, and aquatic environment. The riparian landscape is an important aspect of the urban landscape. The riparian landscape of Cipinang River has ecological, aesthetic, and social functions. Community is the key to create sustainable social life in the community park. To know the needs of people in a community park is important as well as in a park design process, it could be grasped through the study of people preferences. Therefore, it is important too to study the community park design based on user preference to create a community park that is functional, aesthetic, ecological, and sustainable. The design process will be carried out through several stages, namely: stage of data collection, analysis and synthesis phase, concepts, and design. The concept is “Olah Raga dan Olah Jiwa” which Water Spinach’s form as a design concept. It was chosen in addition to preserving and maintaining the riparian landscape environment, also to provide sports spaces, recreation areas. After the design process is carried out, there will be three models of design choices and one of them will be a siteplan that is used as a reference image in the process of making work drawings. A siteplan will be equipped with section plan, perspective, design details, and planting plan.

Management of “Pekarangan” in Informal Settlement of Ciliwung River Riparian Landscape

Riparian is undefined government land and can be converted to other utilization. Riparian areas have natural connections throughout the watershed; they are particularly sensitive and often degraded by human use. One of them is the informal settlement, such as the residential areas in the Ciliwung River riparian which changed the land function from a conservation area. This research conducted in three sites of the Ciliwung River riparian section that is represented by the upper part (Kelurahan Katulampa); middle part (Kelurahan Babakan Pasar); and the lower part (Kelurahan Kedunghalang). The purposes of this research are: 1) to analyze the riparian settlement yard in upper part, middle part, and lower part, 2) to figure out people’s motivation for the management of land yard, and 3) to calculate the potential of land as water catchment areas and to support household-scale agricultural production. The remaining of land in the informal settlement is upgraded to fulfill the riparian function and to improve local people’s welfare. Data were obtained by doing a literature review on previous research with a systematic literature review method; by analyzing the agroforestry land use; and by analyzing plant production. Plants production for agriculture concept in pekarangan in Ciliwung River riparian, Bogor Municipality have high potency. The result of the study of all sites is combined into an integrated agriculture concept as an alternative to efficient land use. These concepts offer some benefits from the ecological, social and ecological aspect. It can be used to convince the community for improving their welfare, as well as raising public awareness about the primary function of the riparian landscape.