Effects of post-fire wood management strategies on vegetation recovery and land surface temperature (LST) estimated from Landsat images
| Autor: | Lidia Vlassova, Fernando Pérez-Cabello |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
040101 forestry
Global and Planetary Change Nutrient cycle 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Ecology Microclimate Forestry 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Vegetation Management Monitoring Policy and Law 01 natural sciences Snag Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Geography Soil water 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries Ecosystem Computers in Earth Sciences Salvage logging 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth-Surface Processes |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. 44:171-183 |
| ISSN: | 1569-8432 |
| Popis: | The study contributes remote sensing data to the discussion about effects of post-fire wood management strategies on forest regeneration. Land surface temperature (LST) and Normalized Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI), estimated from Landsat-8 images are used as indicators of Pinus halepensis ecosystem recovery after 2008 fire in areas of three post-fire treatments: (1) salvage logging with wood extraction from the site on skidders in suspended position (SL); (2) snag shredding in situ leaving wood debris in place (SS) performed two years after the event; and (3) non-intervention control areas (CL) where all snags were left standing. Six years after the fire NDVI values ∼0.5 estimated from satellite images and field radiometry indicate considerable vegetation recovery due to efficient regeneration traits developed by the dominant plant species. However, two years after management activities in part of the burnt area, the effect of SL and SS on ecosystem recovery is observed in terms of both LST and NDVI. Statistically significant differences are detected between the intervened areas (SL and SS) and control areas of non-intervention (CL); no difference is registered between zones of different intervention types (SL and SS). CL areas are on average 1 °C cooler and 10% greener than those corresponding to either SL or SS, because of the beneficial effects of burnt wood residuals, which favor forest recovery through (i) enhanced nutrient cycling in soils, (ii) avoidance of soil surface disturbance and mechanical damage of seedlings typical to the managed areas, and (iii) ameliorated microclimate. The results of the study show that in fire-resilient ecosystems, such as P. halepensis forests, NDVI is higher and LST is lower in areas with no management intervention, being an indication of more favorable conditions for vegetation regeneration. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full Text from ScienceDirect