Publication Details
Development of an Integrated Moisture Index for predicting species composition
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Year Published
1996
Publication
In: Kohl, Michael; Gertner, George Z., eds. Caring for the forest: research in a changing world, statistics, mathematics and computers, proceedings of the meeting of IUFRO S4.11-00; 1995 August 6-12; Tampere, Finland. Birmensdorf, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research: 101-116.
Abstract
A geographic information system (GIS) approach was used to develop an Integrated Moisture Index (IMI), which was used to predict species composition for Ohio forests. Several landscape features (a slope-aspect shading index, cumulative flow of water downslope, curvature of the landscape, and the water-holding capacity of the soil) were derived from elevation and soils data to create the IMI. From IMI values for forest land harvested in the past 30 years, we estimated the percentage composition of two major forest types in the region as well as the prominence of many understory species and several bird species. This approach can be used to better manage forest resources and to predict how the resource will change in the future under various forms of ecosystem management.
Citation
Iverson, Louis R.; Scott, Charles T.; Dale, Martin E.; Prasad, Anantha. 1996. Development of an Integrated Moisture Index for predicting species composition. In: Kohl, Michael; Gertner, George Z., eds. Caring for the forest: research in a changing world, statistics, mathematics and computers, proceedings of the meeting of IUFRO S4.11-00; 1995 August 6-12; Tampere, Finland. Birmensdorf, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research: 101-116.