An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed
Land-use and land-cover (LULC) change is a primary driver of terrestrial carbon release, often through the conversion of forest into agriculture or expansion of urban areas. Classification schemes are a key component of landscape analyses. This study creates a novel LULC classification scheme by inc...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/745 |
| _version_ | 1797499824748101632 |
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| author | John J. Lagrosa Wayne C. Zipperer Michael G. Andreu |
| author_facet | John J. Lagrosa Wayne C. Zipperer Michael G. Andreu |
| author_sort | John J. Lagrosa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land-use and land-cover (LULC) change is a primary driver of terrestrial carbon release, often through the conversion of forest into agriculture or expansion of urban areas. Classification schemes are a key component of landscape analyses. This study creates a novel LULC classification scheme by incorporating ecological data to redefine classes of an existing LULC classification based on variation in above-ground tree carbon. A tree inventory was conducted for 531 plots within a subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed, Florida, USA. Above-ground tree carbon was estimated using the i-Tree model. Plots were classified using the Florida Land Use Cover Classification System. Mean quantities of above-ground tree carbon, by class, were tested for statistical differences. A reclassification was conducted based on these differences. Sub-classes within a given “land cover” class were similar for six of the seven classes. Significant differences were found within the “Wetlands” class based on vegetation cover, forming two distinct groups: “Forested Wetlands” and “Non-forested and Mangrove Wetlands”. The urban “land use” class showed differences between “Residential” and “Non-residential” sub-classes, forming two new classes. LULC classifications can sometimes aggregate areas perceived as similar that are in fact distinct regarding ecological variables. These aggregations can obscure the true variation in a parameter at the landscape scale. Therefore, a study’s classification system should be designed to reflect landscape variation in the parameter(s) of interest. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:52:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3342f7f113b24e089edc70180360a0cf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:52:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-3342f7f113b24e089edc70180360a0cf2023-11-23T11:02:04ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-05-0113574510.3390/f13050745An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay WatershedJohn J. Lagrosa0Wayne C. Zipperer1Michael G. Andreu2Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE), University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, TRC, Rm. 149, Baltimore, MD 21250, USAUSDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station 4952, Gainesville, FL 32625, USASchool of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USALand-use and land-cover (LULC) change is a primary driver of terrestrial carbon release, often through the conversion of forest into agriculture or expansion of urban areas. Classification schemes are a key component of landscape analyses. This study creates a novel LULC classification scheme by incorporating ecological data to redefine classes of an existing LULC classification based on variation in above-ground tree carbon. A tree inventory was conducted for 531 plots within a subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed, Florida, USA. Above-ground tree carbon was estimated using the i-Tree model. Plots were classified using the Florida Land Use Cover Classification System. Mean quantities of above-ground tree carbon, by class, were tested for statistical differences. A reclassification was conducted based on these differences. Sub-classes within a given “land cover” class were similar for six of the seven classes. Significant differences were found within the “Wetlands” class based on vegetation cover, forming two distinct groups: “Forested Wetlands” and “Non-forested and Mangrove Wetlands”. The urban “land use” class showed differences between “Residential” and “Non-residential” sub-classes, forming two new classes. LULC classifications can sometimes aggregate areas perceived as similar that are in fact distinct regarding ecological variables. These aggregations can obscure the true variation in a parameter at the landscape scale. Therefore, a study’s classification system should be designed to reflect landscape variation in the parameter(s) of interest.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/745landscape classificationland useland coverurban ecosystemsecosystem servicescarbon storage |
| spellingShingle | John J. Lagrosa Wayne C. Zipperer Michael G. Andreu An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed Forests landscape classification land use land cover urban ecosystems ecosystem services carbon storage |
| title | An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed |
| title_full | An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed |
| title_fullStr | An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed |
| title_short | An Ecosystem Services-Centric Land Use and Land Cover Classification for a Subbasin of the Tampa Bay Watershed |
| title_sort | ecosystem services centric land use and land cover classification for a subbasin of the tampa bay watershed |
| topic | landscape classification land use land cover urban ecosystems ecosystem services carbon storage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/745 |
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