Modeling Critical Forest Habitat in the Southern Coal Fields of West Virginia
Joint Authors
Petty, J. Todd
Yuill, Charles B.
Strager, Michael P.
Maxwell, Aaron E.
Source
International Journal of Ecology
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-10, 10 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-03-15
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
10
Main Subjects
Natural & Life Sciences (Multidisciplinary)
Biology
Abstract EN
Throughout the Central Appalachians of the United States resource extraction primarily from coal mining has contributed to the majority of the forest conversion to barren and reclaimed pasture and grass.
The loss of forests in this ecoregion is significantly impacting biodiversity at a regional scale.
Since not all forest stands provide equal levels of ecological functions, it is critical to identify and map existing forested resources by the benefits that accrue from their unique spatial patterns, watershed drainage, and landscape positions.
We utilized spatial analysis and remote sensing techniques to define critical forest characteristics.
The characteristics were defined by applying a forest fragmentation model utilizing morphological image analysis, defining headwater catchments at a 1 : 24,000 scale, and deriving ecological land units (ELUs) from elevation data.
Once critical forest values were calculated, it was possible to identify clusters of critical stands using spatial statistics.
This spatially explicit method for modeling forest habitat could be implemented as a tool for assessing the impact of resource extraction and aid in the conservation of critical forest habitat throughout a landscape.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Maxwell, Aaron E.& Strager, Michael P.& Yuill, Charles B.& Petty, J. Todd. 2012. Modeling Critical Forest Habitat in the Southern Coal Fields of West Virginia. International Journal of Ecology،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-452524
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Maxwell, Aaron E.…[et al.]. Modeling Critical Forest Habitat in the Southern Coal Fields of West Virginia. International Journal of Ecology No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-452524
American Medical Association (AMA)
Maxwell, Aaron E.& Strager, Michael P.& Yuill, Charles B.& Petty, J. Todd. Modeling Critical Forest Habitat in the Southern Coal Fields of West Virginia. International Journal of Ecology. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-452524
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-452524