Abstract New Technology for Rapid Assessment and Monitoring Change in Forest Dynamics

• Main Author: Andrew N. Gillison
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.424.1056; http://www.biosoil.ru/seminar/gillison_2008.pdf

The rapid onset of global change requires new, cost-effective approaches to assessing and monitoring change in forest condition. The dimensions of the global problem also demand a generic approach using harmonious, low-cost, high-return data-gathering procedures where data can be readily compared at local, regional and global scale. The data acquired should be easily understood and applied by planning and implementing agencies worldwide. Recent developments combining remote sensing technology with on-ground vegetation assessment are presented. Traditional, descriptive vegetation classification and survey methods are now enhanced by the addition of easily-recordable measures that reflect plant response to environmental change. The rapid survey methodology known as ‘VegClass ’ [ www.cbmglobe.org] employs a recording protocol that includes site physical features as well as plant species, vegetation structure, plant functional types and land use history. Because the method is generic, all stages of forest development can be assessed along a maritime/boreal / arctic continuum in the Russian Far East and directly compared with data similarly acquired in other world regions. Forest data from 37 countries including boreal/arctic regions are briefly compared. Recent results from an integrated baseline survey in Mozambique (East Africa) are presented. These results show that the VegClass data can now be linked with new remote sensing technology to help monitor effects of environmental change from space as well as on ground. The user-friendly, computer software is freely available and intensive training operations in a number of countries indicate the methodology is readily transferable. The relevance of this approach to solving problems of forest management in the Russian Far East is briefly discussed. I give my consent to the report publication in the Forum proceedings.