Loss of bottomland hardwood forests and forested wetlands in the Cache River Basin, Arkansas

Abstract

Data related to forest cover in the Cache River Basin, Arkansas, USA were collected and analyzed to quantify changes in forest cover since 1935. Forest cover loss during the period 1935 to 1987 was characterized using data derived from aerial photography, historical map products, and Landsat satellite muhispectral imagery. Forest cover in the basin declined from 65% to 15% over the 52-year period (a loss of 108,000 ha of tbrest cover). There was little change in forest cover between t975 and 1987. Remaining forest stands in the basin are fragmented and small in size. Comparing forest-stand data with Soil Conservation Service data revealed that 90% of the forest loss in the southern half of the basin occurred in hydric soil areas, thus indicating a significant loss of forested wetlands.

Tropical Mexico's Recent Land-Use Change: A Region's Contribution to the Global Carbon Cycle

“…Those authors concluded that because of the differences between the two sources regarding their use of aerial photography vs. satellite imagery, relative degree of ground-truthing [field verification], and the different terminology used to label LU/ LC classes, that comparing these maps is unsuitable for estimating land-use change and deforestation. While we agree that the ideal approach for comparing past and future LU/LC inventories would use similar data sources, others have reported land-use-change analyses based on comparisons of different map layers and overlay techniques (Schreier et al 1994, Kress et al 1996, Thomlinson et al 1996. Because the 1990s-era map is based on the same cartographic data as the 1970s-era map, the primary factor making a comparison difficult is the different labels applied to the LU/LC classes.…”

Changes in riparian forests in the Kushiro Mire, Japan, associated with stream channelization

“…Fine sediment accumulation is a major reason for the deterioration of the wetlands at Kushiro and in other countries (Kress and Graves, 1996) Agricultural development in watershed drainage areas since the late 1960s and 1970s has substantially altered hydrological and geomorphological processes in the Kushiro Mire. Sediment accumulation in the wetlands resulting from human activities has progressed into the downstream reaches of the Kushiro River Basin and has spread over the wetlands by flood events.…”

Do published tolerance ratings and dispersal factors predict species distributions in bottomland hardwoods?

“…Extensive losses, fragmentation, and deterioration have occurred throughout most of the BLH range due to hydrologic alteration, clearing for agriculture and, in more recent years, urbanization (Klopatek et al, 1979;Dahl, 1990Dahl, , 2000Dahl and Johnson, 1991;Kress et al, 1996;Kellison and Young, 1997). Many state and federal agencies are implementing reforestation programs (Allen, 1990;Allen et al, 1998;Kruse and Groninger, 2003) or allowing abandoned sites to regenerate naturally (DePoe and Pritchett, 1986;Battaglia et al, 1995Battaglia et al, , 2002 Program create incentives for converting agricultural land back to BLH forests (Allen, 1997;Amacher et al, 1998;Groninger et al, 2000).…”