The Contribution of Hemispherical Photographs to Understand Natural Forest Regeneration in the AKAK Forest Area

Examining the contribution of hemispherical photographs in the understanding of Natural forest regeneration is very important in estimating the future forest structure, composition and to enforce conservation regulations. This study sets out to examine the interaction between stump sprouting, LAI, site and canopy openness for the entire AKAK forest area and for the logging compartments;2013, 2015 and 2017 respectively. 49 sprouted stump were identified randonly. 20 m × 20 m plots were demarcated along a canopy gaps for each sprouted stump, the plots were established in such a manner that the sprouted stumps will be in the middle. For each of the selected 49 sprouted stump, indirect measurements of canopy cover were performed in the 49 plots of 20 m × 20 m (0.04 ha), giving a total of 1.96 ha of land covered. Galaxy S3 smartphone with a built-in Infinix ZERO 4 fish-eye lens with 198˚ view angle equidistant projection was used to take photos. The fish-eye lens was mounted on the phone camera and photograph were taken at a fixed height of 1.3 m. Results revealed that, the combine Principal Component Factor Analysis (2013, 2015 and 2017) of the correlation matrix for Sprout, Years, LAI 4%, LAI 5%, Canopy and Site openness, shows that factor 1 explained 62.6% of total variance while factor 2 explained 17.9% together explain 80.05% Communalities. For the year 2013, 2015 and 2017 respectively shows that there is a very strong correlation (p p < 0.0005) between LAI4 and LAI5.

Remote Sensing for Analyzing Forested Landscape Structure and Land-Use Histories in Guyana’s Bauxite Mining Landscapes

Monitoring secondary forest regrowth is a priority in forest restoration strategies. A site history helps in understanding the present status of natural regeneration in the three landscapes impacted by bauxite mining. Nonetheless, high rainfall in bauxite residue storage areas can facilitate natural regeneration of forest. This research analyzed the natural regeneration of forest after thirty years of different land use histories at three bauxite mining areas of the Upper Demerara—Berbice region of Guyana. There are no man made forest plantations in the three landscapes being reviewed. The methodology included: 1) the selection of three sampling landscapes with different land use histories 2) the generation Land Use/Land Cover maps using KMeans unsupervised classification of satellite images in each landscape and 3) the assessment of landscape structure of the land cover classes for year 2020 at class and landscape level using landscape metrics. The assessment of landscape structure of the land cover classes was carried-out with landscape metrics for the comparisons at class and landscape level. Principal component analysis enables the identification of main patterns among landscape-level metrics and land cover classes. Discriminant classification of the landscape classes was analyzed with the different metrics. The results suggest that Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and KMeans unsupervised classification can be used to evaluate the difference in natural forest regeneration among landscapes with differing land use histories. The landscape metrics revealed secondary stages of forest succession. The Landscape Shape Index and Edge Density were the most significant for landscape differentiation. The result of the various land uses reveals a mosaic of early, intermediate, and late successional sequences.

Evaluation of natural forest regeneration as a part of land restoration in the Khentii massif,Mongolia

Forest stands in the semi-arid environment of northern Mongolia have an essential role in controlling ongoing desertification in the surrounding landscape.Over the last decade,the total forest area has decreased dramatically.The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of natural regeneration as an essential element for ensuring sustainability of these forests.Based on field measurements from 120 plots in six sites,our assessment tool revealed five qualitative categories of forest regeneration,allowing us to assess impacts of both grazing and environmental conditions on the regeneration process.Grazing is a crucial factor and adversely affects regeneration.For sites with relatively low grazing intensity,low soil moisture levels represent the main reason for reduced regeneration.The approach to classification proposed in this study allows for the identification and interpretation of stand conditions where natural regeneration has failed.This study provides an important foundation to inform decisionmaking related to land protection and restoration actions.Our findings could be used in comparative studies and,importantly,may aid further mapping of Mongolian forests.