A remote sensing approach to biodiversity assessment and regionalization of the Canadian boreal forest

Progress in Physical Geography

Volumn 37, Issue 1, 2013, Pages 36-62

  Powers, Ryan P ^a   Coops, Nicholas C ^a   Morgan, Jessica L ^a   Wulder, Michael A ^b   Nelson, Trisalyn A ^c   Drever, Charles R ^d   Cumming, Steven G ^e  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA   (Canada)

^b LAURENTIAN FORESTRY CENTRE   (Canada)

^c UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA   (Canada)

^d THE NATURE CONSERVANCY   (United States)

^e UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL   (Canada)

Author keywords

biodiversity indicators; boreal; MODIS; productivity; topography

Indexed keywords

BIODIVERSITY; BOREAL FOREST; CONSERVATION PLANNING; ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATOR; LAND USE; MODIS; REGIONALIZATION; REMOTE SENSING; SATELLITE IMAGERY; SNOW COVER; SPECIES RICHNESS; TOPOGRAPHY; WETLAND;

CANADA;

AVES; MAMMALIA;

EID: 84873438364     PISSN: 03091333     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0309133312457405     Document Type: Article

References (110)

1. Akaike H.A new look at the statistical model identification.IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 1974;19 (6): 716-723.
2. Anderson MG,Ferree CE.Conserving the stage: Climate change and the geophysical underpinnings of species diversity.PLoS ONE. 2010;5:e11554.
3. Andrew ME,Wulder MA,Coops NC.Patterns of protection and threats along productivity gradients in Canada.Biological Conservation. 2011;144:2891-1901.
4. Andrew ME,Wulder MA,Coops NC.De facto protected areas of the Canadian boreal forest.Biological Conservation. 2012;146 (1): 97-107.
5. AnielskiMWilsonS (2009) Counting Canada's natural capital: Assessing the real value of Canada's boreal ecosystems. The Canadian Boreal Initiative and The Pembina Institute. Available at: http://www.borealcanada.ca/documents/BorealBook_CCNC_09_enFINAL.pdf.
6. Belbin L.Environmental representativeness: Regional partitioning and reserve selection.Biological Conservation. 1993;66 (3): 223-230.
7. Belbin L.A multivariate approach to the selection of biological reserves.Biodiversity and Conservation. 1995;4 (9): 951-963.
8. Brandt JP.The extent of the North American boreal zone.Environmental Reviews. 2009;17:101-161.
9. Our Common Future. New York: Oxford University Press; 1987:.
10. Buchanan GM,Nelson A,Mayaux P, et al.Delivering a global, terrestrial, biodiversity observation system through remote sensing.Conservation Biology. 2008;23 (2): 499-502.
11. Burton PJ,Parisien M-A,Hicke JA, et al.Large fires as agents of ecological diversity in the North American boreal forest.International Journal of Wildland Fire. 2008;17 (6): 754-767.
12. Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) (2011) The agreement. Available at: http://canadianborealforestagreement.com.
13. Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) (2011) Mandate. Available at: http://www.borealcanada.ca.
14. Carwardine J,Klein CJ,Wilson KA, et al.Hitting the target and missing the point: Target-based conservation planning in context.Conservation Letters. 2009;2 (1): 4-11.
15. ChengRLeePG (2008) Urban sprawl and other major land use conversions in Ontario's greenbelt from 1993 to 2007: A change analysis project using satellite imagery. Report to the David Suzuki Foundation and the Greenbelt Foundation. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/ON-greenbelt-2008/ONgreenbelt-change-GFWC2008_LR.pdf.
16. ChengRLeePG (2009) Recent (1990-2007) Anthropogenic Change within the Forest Landscapes of Nova Scotia. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/change_analysis/NS/GFWC_NS-change-2009_LR_WEB.pdf.
17. Chu C,Minns CK,Mandrak NE.Comparing regional assessment of factors impacting freshwater fish biodiversity in Canada.Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 2003;60 (5): 624-634.
18. Coops NC,Wulder MA,Duro DC, et al.The development of a Canadian dynamic habitat index using multi-temporal satellite estimates of canopy light absorbance.Ecological Indicators. 2008;8 (5): 754-766.
19. Coops NC,Wulder MA,Iwanicka D.Demonstration of a satellite-based index to monitor habitat at continental-scales.Ecological Indicators. 2009a;9 (5): 948-958.
20. Coops NC,Wulder MA,Iwanicka D.Exploring the relative importance of satellite-derived descriptors of production, topography and land cover for predicting breeding bird species richness over Ontario, Canada.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2009b;3:668-679.
21. Coops NC,Wulder MA,Iwanicka D.An environmental domain classification of Canada using earth observation data for biodiversity assessment.Ecological Informatics. 2009c;4 (1): 8-22.
22. Coops NC,Wulder MA,White JCUnderstanding Forest Disturbance and Spatial Pattern: Remote Sensing and GIS Approaches. Wulder MAFranklin SE, ed. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis; 2007:31-61.
23. Copeland JP,McKelvey KS,Landa A, et al.The bioclimatic envelope of the wolverine (Gulo gulo): Do climatic constraints limit its geographic distribution?.Canadian Journal of Zoology. 2010;88 (3): 233-246.
24. Cumming S,Vernier P.Statistical models of landscape pattern metrics, with applications to regional scale dynamic forest simulations.Landscape Ecology. 2002;17 (5): 433-444.
25. Cumming S,Stralberg D,Lefevre K, et al.Climate and vegetation hierarchically structure continental patterns of songbird abundance in the Canadian boreal region.Avian Conservation and Ecology. forthcoming;:.
26. Currie DJ,Paquin V.Large-scale biogeographical patterns of species richness of trees.Nature. 1987;329:326-327.
27. Dorner B,Lertzman K,Fall J.Landscape pattern in topographically complex landscapes: Issues and techniques for analysis.Landscape Ecology. 2002;17 (8): 729-743.
28. Hybrid Wetland Layer User Guide. 2010:.
29. Duro DC,Coops NC,Wulder MA,Han T.Development of a large area biodiversity monitoring system driven by remote sensing.Progress in Physical Geography. 2007;31 (3): 1-26.
30. Dye DG.Interannual variability and trends in the annual snow-cover cycle in Northern Hemisphere land areas, 1972-2000.Hydrological Proceeding. 2002;16 (15): 3065-3077.
31. Engelmark OEcosystems of the World: Ecosystems of Disturbed Ground. Walker LR, ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science; 1999:161-186.
32. Esseen PA,Ehnström B,Ericson L,Sjöberg K.Boreal forests.Ecological Bulletins. 1997;46:16-47.
33. Far North Plan (FNP) (2011) About the Far North. Available at: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FarNorth/2ColumnSubPage/266506.html.
34. Fleishman E,MacNally R.Measuring the response of animals to contemporary drivers of fragmentation.Canadian Journal of Zoology. 2007;85 (10): 1080-1090.
35. Gallant AL,Klaver RW,Casper GS,Lannoo MJ.Global rates of habitat loss and implication for amphibian conservation.Copeia. 2007;2007 (4): 967-979.
36. Gaston KJ.Global patterns in biodiversity.Nature. 2000;405:220-227.
37. Giles PT.Geomorphological signature: Classification of aggregated slope unit objects from digital elevation and remote sensing data.Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 1998;23 (7): 581-594.
38. Global Forest Watch (GFW) (2010) Canada's intact forest landscapes. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://datawarehouse.globalforestwatch.ca.
39. Goetz SJ,Bunn AG,Fiske GJ,Houghton RA.Satellite-observed photosynthetic trends across boreal North America associated with climate and fire disturbance.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2005;102 (38): 13521-13525.
40. Government of Canada/Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (GC/AAFC) (2009) Land cover for agricultural regions of Canada, circa 2000. Available at: http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/landcover/index.html.
41. Government of Canada/Natural Resources Canada/Earth Sciences Sector/Mapping Information Branch/Centre for Topographic Information - Sherbrooke (GC/NRCan/ESS/MIB/CTI-S) (2011) CanVec (Version 5.0). Available at: ftp://ftp2.cits.rncan.gc.ca/pub/canvec.
42. Goward SN,Cruickshanks GD,Hope AS.Observed relation between thermal emission and reflected spectral radiance of a complex vegetated landscape.Remote Sensing of Environment. 1985;18 (2): 137-146.
43. Hall DK,Riggs GA.Accuracy assessment of the MODIS snow products.Hydrological Processes. 2007;21 (12): 1534-1547.
44. Hall DK,Riggs GA,Salomonson VVBoulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media, updated monthly; 2006:.
45. Hawkins BA,Porter EE.Relative influences of current and historical factors on mammal and bird diversity patterns in deglaciated North America.Global Ecology and Biogeography. 2003;12 (6): 475-481.
46. Hawkins BA,Field R,Cornell HV, et al.Energy, water and broad-scale geographic patterns of species richness.Ecology. 2003;84 (12): 3105-3117.
47. Hurlbert AH,Haskell JP.The effect of energy and seasonality on avian species richness and community composition.American Naturalist. 2003;161 (1): 83-97.
48. Ivits E,Buchanan G,Whittaker L,Cherlet M.European farmland bird distribution explained by remotely sensed phenological indices.Environmental Modeling and Assessment. 2011;16:385-399.
49. Kaufman L,Rousseeuw PJFinding Groups in Data: An Introduction to Cluster Analysis. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2005:368.
50. Kerr JT,Ostrovsky M.From space to species: Ecological applications for remote sensing.Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 2003;18 (6): 299-305.
51. Kerr JT,Southwood TRE,Cihlar J.Remotely sensed habitat diversity predicts butterfly species richness and community similarity in Canada.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2001;98 (20): 11365-11370.
52. Kuuluvainen T.Disturbance dynamics in boreal forests: Defining the ecological basis of restoration and management of biodiversity.Silva Fennica. 2002;36 (1): 5-11.
53. LatifovicR. (2008) Land cover map of Canada 2005 at 250 m spatial resolution. Natural Resources Canada/ESS/Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. Available at: ftp://ftp.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ad/NLCCLandCover/LandcoverCanada2005_250m.
54. Leathwick JR,Overton JMcC,McLeod M.An environmental domain classification for New Zealand and its use as a tool for biodiversity management.Conservation Biology. 2003;17 (6): 1612-1623.
55. LeePGysbersJD (2008) Recent anthropogenic changes within the inland temperate rainforest of British Columbia: Interim report. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/change_analysis/BC/GFWC_change-BC-INTERIM_lowres.pdf.
56. LeePAksenovDLaestadiusL. (2003) Canada's large intact forest landscapes. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://pdf.wri.org/gfw_canada_lifl_text_section.pdf.
57. LeePGysbersJDStonojevicZ (2006) Canada's forest landscape fragments: A first approximation. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/FLFs/GFWC-FLFs-firstapprox-150dpi.pdf.
58. Li JH,Chen WJ.A rule-based method for mapping Canada's wetlands using optical, radar and DEM data.International Journal of Remote Sensing. 2005;26 (22): 5051-5069.
59. Li X,He HS,Bu R, et al.The adequacy of different landscape metrics for various landscape patterns.Pattern Recognition. 2005;38 (12): 2626-2638.
60. Li Z,Nadon S,Cihlar J.Satellite detection of Canadian boreal forest fires: Development and application of the algorithm.International Journal of Remote Sensing. 2000;21 (16): 3057-3069.
61. Linke J,McDermid GJ,Laskin DN, et al.A disturbance-inventory framework for flexible and reliable landscape monitoring.Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. 2009;75 (8): 981-995.
62. Linke S,Pressey RL,Bailey RC,Norris RH.Management options for river conservation planning: Condition and conservation re-visited.Freshwater Biology. 2007;52 (5): 918-938.
63. LittleLJr (1999) Digital representation of Atlas of United States Trees. Reston, VA: Geological Survey. Available at: http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little.
64. Lugo AE,Brown SL,Dodson R.The Holdridge life zones of the conterminous United States in relation to ecosystem mapping.Journal of Biogeography. 1999;26 (5): 1025-1038.
65. McGarigalKMarksBJ (1995) FRAGSTATS: Spatial pattern analysis program for quantifying landscape structure. Portland, OR: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr351.pdf.
66. McGarigalKCushmanSANeelMCEneE (2002) FRAGSTATS: Spatial pattern analysis program for categorical maps. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Available at: http://www.umass.edu/landeco/research/fragstats/fragstats.html.
67. Mackey BG,Berry SL,Brown T.Reconciling approaches to biogeographical regionalization: A systematic and generic framework examined with a case study of the Australian continent.Journal of Biogeography. 2008;35:213-229.
68. Mackey BG,Nix HA,Hutchinson MF, et al.Assessing representativeness of places for conservation reservation and heritage listing.Environmental Management. 1988;12 (4): 502-514.
69. MacMillan RA,Jones RK,McNabb DH.Defining a hierarchy of spatial entities for environmental analysis and modeling using digital elevation models (DEMs).Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. 2004;28 (3): 175-200.
70. Margules CR,Pressey RL.Systematic conservation planning.Nature. 2000;405:243-253.
71. Metzger MJ,Bunce RGH,Jongman CA, et al.A climate stratification of the environment of Europe.Global Ecology and Biogeography. 2005;14:549-563.
72. Mildrexler DJ,Zhao M,Running SW.Testing a MODIS global disturbance index across North America.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2009;113 (10): 2103-2117.
73. Mooi E,Sarstedt MA Concise Guide to Market Research: The Process, Data, and Methods Using IBM SPSS Statistics. Heidelberg: Springer; 2011:.
74. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) (2011) Birds research in the boreal forest. Available at: http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pages/254.
75. Olthof I,Pouliot D.Treeline vegetation composition and change in Canada's western Subarctic from AVHRR and canopy reflectance modeling.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2010;114 (4): 805-815.
76. PattersonBDCeballosGSechrestW. (2007) Digital distribution maps of the mammals of the western hemisphere, version 3.0. Arlington, VA: NatureServe. Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/getData/mammalMaps.jsp.
77. Pettorelli N,Vik JO,Mysterud A, et al.Using satellite-derived NDVI to assess ecological responses to environmental change.Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 2005;20 (9): 503-510.
78. Plan Nord (2011) Protection of the environment. Available at: http://www.plannord.gouv.qc.ca/english/environment/index.asp.
79. Pulliainen J.Mapping of snow water equivalent and snow depth in boreal and sub-arctic zones by assimilating space-borne microwave radiometer data and ground-based observations.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2006;101 (2): 257-269.
80. RidgelyRSAllnuttTFBrooksT. (2007) Digital distribution maps of the birds of the western hemisphere, version 3.0. Arlington, VA: NatureServe. Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/getData/birdMaps.jsp.
81. RiggsGAHallDKSalomonsonVV (2006) MODIS snow products user guide collection 5. Available at: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/daac/modis_v5/dorothy_snow_doc.pdf.
82. Rocchini D,Ricotta C,Chiarucci A.Using satellite imagery to assess plant species richness: The role of multispectral systems.Applied Vegetation Science. 2007;10 (3): 325-331.
83. Sarr DA,Hibbs DE,Huston MA.A hierarchical perspective of plant diversity.Quarterly Review of Biology. 2005;80 (2): 187-212.
84. Schneider RR,Stelfox JB,Boutin S,Wasel S.Managing the cumulative impacts of land uses in the western Canadian sedimentary basin: A modeling approach.Conservation Ecology. 2003;7 (1): 8-18.
85. Schwartz CC,Haroldson MA,White GC, et al.Temporal, spatial and environmental influences on the demographics of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.Wildlife Monographs. 2006;161 (1): 1-68.
86. Soverel N,Coops NC,White JC,Wulder MA.Characterizing the forest fragmentation of Canada's national parks.Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2010;164:481-499.
87. SPSS (2001) The SPSS TwoStep Cluster Component: A scalable component enabling more efficient customer segmentation. Chicago, IL: SPSS Incorporation. Available at: http://www.spss.ch/upload/1122644952_The%20SPSS%20TwoStep%20Cluster%20Component.pdf.
88. StanojevicZLeePGysbersJD (2006a) Recent anthropogenic changes within the boreal plains ecozone of Saskatchewan and Manitoba: Interim report. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/change_analysis/change-analysis-SKMB-150dpi.pdf.
89. StanojevicZLeePGysbersJD (2006b) Recent anthropogenic changes within the northern boreal, southern taiga, and Hudson Plains ecozones of Québec: A Global Forest Watch Canada report. Edmonton: Global Forest Watch Canada. Available at: http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/change_analysis/change-analysis-QC-150dpi.pdf.
90. Stocks BJ,Mason JA,Todd JB, et al.Large forest fires in Canada, 1959-1997.Journal of Geophysical Research. 2003;108:1-12.
91. Swanson FJ,Johnson SL,Gregory SV,Acker SA.Flood disturbance in a forested mountain landscape.BioScience. 1998;48 (9): 681-689.
92. Temini M,Leconte R,Chaouch N, et al.A combination of remote sensing data and topographic attributes for the spatial and temporal monitoring of soil wetness.Journal of Hydrology. 2010;388 ((1-2)): 28-40.
93. Trakhtenbrot A,Kadmon R.Environmental cluster analysis as a tool for selecting complementary networks of conservation sites.Ecological Applications. 2005;15 (1): 335-345.
94. Turetsky MR,Louis STBoreal Peatland Ecosystems. Wieder RKVitt DH, ed. Berlin: Springer; 2006:359-379.
95. Turner MG,Gardner RH,O'Neill RVLandscape Ecology in Theory and Practice: Pattern and Process. New York: Springer; 2001:.
96. Turner W,Spector S,Gardiner N, et al.Remote sensing for biodiversity science and conservation.Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 2003;18 (6): 306-314.
97. US Geological Survey (USGS) (2011) Land cover type yearly L3 global 1 km SIN grid. Available at: https://lpdaac.usgs.gov.
98. Walker RE,Stoms DM,Etes JE,Cayocca KDBethesda, MD: ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Publications; 1992:.
99. Warner BG,Asada T.Biological diversity of peatlands in Canada.Aquatic Sciences. 2006;68 (3): 240-253.
100. Warren AJ,Collins MJ.A pixel-based semi-empirical system for predicting vegetation diversity in boreal forest.International Journal of Remote Sensing. 2007;28 (1): 83-105.
101. Wulder MA,Franklin SEUnderstanding Forest Disturbance and Spatial Pattern: Remote Sensing and GIS Approaches. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis; 2007:.
102. Wulder MA,Campbell C,White JC, et al.National context in the international circumboreal community.The Forestry Chronicle. 2007;83 (4): 539-556.
103. Wulder MA,White JC,Andrew ME, et al.Forest fragmentation, structure, and age characteristics as a legacy of forest management.Forest Ecology and Management. 2009;258 (9): 1938-1949.
104. Wulder MA,White JC,Coops NC.Fragmentation regimes of Canada's forests.The Canadian Geographer. 2011;55 (3): 288-300.
105. Wulder MA,White JC,Cranny M, et al.Monitoring Canada's forests. Part 1: Completion of the EOSD land cover project.Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 2008a;34 (6): 549-562.
106. Wulder MA,White JC,Han T, et al.Monitoring Canada's forests. Part 2: National forest fragmentation and pattern.Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 2008b;34 (6): 563-584.
107. Wulder MA,White JC,Magnussen S,McDonald S.Validation of a large area land cover product using purpose-acquired airborne video.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2007;106 (4): 480-491.
108. Zhang K,Kimball JS,Mu Q, et al.Satellite based analysis of northern ET trends and associated changes in the regional water balance from 1983 to 2005.Journal of Hydrology. 2009;379 ((1-2)): 92-110.
109. Zhang Q,Pavlic G,Chen W, et al.Deriving stand age distribution in boreal forest using SPOT VEGETATION and NOAA AVHRR imagery.Remote Sensing of Environment. 2004;91 ((3-4)): 405-418.
110. Zhang T,Ramakrishnan R,Linvy MProceedings of the 1996 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data. Jagadish HVInderpal Mumick Singh, ed. New York: ACM Press; 1996:.