Multi-scale Assessment of Southeastern Forest Patterns Using Free Data

Kurt Riitters (Presenter), Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

Thanks to the Multi-resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) program, nationally consistent maps of land cover (ca. early 1990’s) at the resolution of baseball diamond infields make it possible to meaningfully characterize and assess forest patterns over large regions such as the southern U.S.  Our project starts with the MRLC land-cover maps, and produces a series of land-cover pattern maps comprising the National Land-Cover Pattern Database (NLCPD).   The objective of this talk/poster is to describe some applications of the NLCPD in the context of the Southern Forest Resource Assessment.  For example, it is feasible to associate any given plot location with several measures of land-cover pattern in the surrounding landscape; this sets up all sorts of hypothesis tests relating landscape pattern to forest productivity, exotic species, and other amenities.  In another example, simple image processing algorithms have been used to locate and quantify the urban-forest interface zone across the Region.  Simulation studies relating the risk of future fragmentation to current forest patterns indicate the risks already taken in creating today’s landscape patterns.  The status and availability of the NLCPD will be described, along with plans for future productions and applications.

Workshop II: Monitoring Forest Changes

Sustaining
Southern
Forests

a conference sponsored by the Southern Forest Resource Assessment