Structural characteristics of post-wildfire and clearcut landscapes

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 1996, Vol.39 (1/3), p.435-450
• Main Authors: Gluck, M.J, Rempel, R.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; forest management; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00396160

A continuing discussion in the field of ecology and forest management concerns the implications of clearcutting as a functional replacement for wildfire in disturbance-driven ecosystems. At the landscape level, spatial pattern has been shown to influence many ecologically important processes. Satellite imagery allows the evaluation of structural patterns created by alternative forest management activities at broad scales. In Northwestern Ontario, both clearcutting and wildfire have occurred over large contiguous areas. Spatial characteristics including composition, patch size, patch shape, and interspersion were calculated from classified Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data at two thematic scales and used to compare post-wildfire and clearcut landscapes. Patches in the clearcut landscape were found to be larger in size, and had a more irregular shape than those in the wildfire landscape. Differences in landscape structure were much more pronounced at broad scales than at fine thematic scales.