Track: Environmental Management
Characterizing the Spatial Pattern of Vegetation Regeneration in a Cleared Watershed
Colin BrooksAdina Merenlender
This paper investigates the use of remote sensing and a GIS to characterize vegetation regeneration on two deforested watersheds in northwestern California. The vegetation present was mapped during three time periods: before clearing, after clearing, and the present day. Changes in vegetation composition and distribution over time were analyzed. Areas of regeneration were correlated with topography and soil characteristics, revealing a preference for northwestern slopes. In ArcView GIS, nearest neighbor analysis was used to test if trees were randomly distributed. Characterizing regeneration patterns will provide a quantitative basis for making decisions on where to focus watershed restoration efforts.
Colin Brooks
University of California - Berkeley
4070 University Road
Hopland, CA 95449-9717
USA
Telephone: 707-744-1270
Fax: 707-744-1040
E-mail: cbrooks@nature.berkeley.edu