PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 2: Forest Ecology
Monday, August 8, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Linking remote sensing with field observations for aboveground biomass estimates in Southeast Missouri Ozark landscape.
Zheng, Daolan*,1, Li, Qinglin1, Chen, Jiquan1, Jensen, Randy2, Kabrick, John3, 1 Department of Earth, Ecologic, and Environmental Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA2 Missouri Department of Conservation, Ellington, MO, USA3 Forest Science Lab, USDA Forest Service, Columbia, MO, USA
ABSTRACT- Changes in aboveground biomass (AGB, Mg/ha) were estimated following 1996 treatments of even-aged, uneven-aged and no-harvest managements in oak-hickory forests of the Southeast Missouri Ozarks. A land-cover map of the study area (83,200 ha) was developed using unsupervised classification scheme based on 2003 Landsat 7 ETM with an overall accuracy of 78%. AGB was estimated by coupling the field data with remote-sensing derived variables by land-cover type. The ground measurements were collected from 648, 0.2-ha plots distributed randomly in nine long-term forest-management compartments within the landscape. In each plot, all trees with DBH >3.8 cm were measured and the AGB were calculated based on 14 species-specific biometric equations and then tallied. The total amount of AGB in the area was estimated as 7.2 million metric tons with an average of 112 Mg/ha. The mean AGB density for uneven-aged forest was 111 Mg/ha, 83% of the mean AGB for mature forests (133 Mg/ha) without management disturbances. The mean forest AGB of even-aged clear-cut treatment was <10 Mg/ha. By comparing the AGB differences pre- and post-treatment, we are able to tease apart the contributions of climate and management activities. Changes in spatial patterns of AGB over time allow us to examine effects of forest-management practices and Ecological Land Types on AGB. This study provides the base-line information for detecting biomass changes over time, which is necessary component for a synthesis of landscape carbon flux and storage by incorporating other independent estimates of carbon fluxes (e.g., soil respiration) in the Ozark landscape.
Key words: aboveground biomass, remote sensing, ozark forest, carbon pool