Estimating Current Forest Ecosystem State, Regeneration, and Biodiversity Using GIS Technologies
V.A. Ryzhkova, M.A. Korets, V.P. Cherkashin
Abstract
An ecological database was developed using GIS to improve estimates of the current state, successional dynamics, and biodiversity of forest ecosystems. The database is a system of many hierarchic levels that incorporate the major forest component information arranged in a systematic manner. The database structure and tasks are described, along with an algorithm of automated forest environment classification resting on a digital relief model. The ecological database local level was successfully used to identify spatial vegetation dynamics trends in a north taiga forest study site. Computer-generated maps of forest environment types and vegetation dynamics units were obtained. Standing crop volume changes caused by succession in different forest environment types are presented for larch regeneration sequences. At a regional level, the database allows to look at geo-specific characteristics of forest regeneration processes. A comparison of biodiversity between vegetation communities is illustrated by an example of background regeneration sequences found for different vegetation zones.
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