Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests
Forests provide direct protection to human settlements from hydrogeomorphic hazards. This paper proposes a method for assessing the effect of natural disturbances on the functionality of direct protection forests (DPFs) in order to prioritize management interventions. We georeferenced disturbance da...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Mountain Society
2016-02-01
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| Series: | Mountain Research and Development |
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| Online Access: | http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00075.1 |
| _version_ | 1818856545520189440 |
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| author | Giorgio Vacchiano Roberta Berretti Enrico Borgogno Mondino Fabio Meloni Renzo Motta |
| author_facet | Giorgio Vacchiano Roberta Berretti Enrico Borgogno Mondino Fabio Meloni Renzo Motta |
| author_sort | Giorgio Vacchiano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forests provide direct protection to human settlements from hydrogeomorphic hazards. This paper proposes a method for assessing the effect of natural disturbances on the functionality of direct protection forests (DPFs) in order to prioritize management interventions. We georeferenced disturbance data for wildfires, wind and snow damage, avalanches, and insects and overlaid them to a region-wide DPF map. Within each disturbance polygon, we used a Landsat-5 TM image to identify DPFs with insufficient vegetation cover, by using a maximum likelihood classifier of 6 spectral bands plus 5 vegetation indices. For each disturbance agent, we fitted a generalized linear model of the probability of finding a forested pixel, as a function of topography, time since disturbance, distance from disturbance edge, summer precipitation, and drought in the disturbance year. DPFs covered almost half of total forest area in the study region. Disturbance by insects occurred in more than one sixth of all forests. Avalanche and wildfire occurred each in about one tenth of total forest area, and wind and snow disturbance in only 1%. In the last 50 years, disturbances had a recurrence rate of 3% every 10 years. Almost one sixth of DPFs are currently lacking sufficient forest cover. Wildfires resulted in the highest rate of nonforested pixels (42% of all DPFs), followed by avalanches (21%). Forest recovery was explained by time elapsed, distance from edge (for conifers), and aspect. Summer precipitation and drought had a mixed influence. Our approach to assessing the effect of disturbances on the functionality of DPFs is reproducible in all mountain regions using institutional or open-access geographic data and provides a tool to prioritize DPF management by indicating where restoration of protection is most urgent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:26:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43c9fad157aa404788150f167e6d17da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0276-4741 1994-7151 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:26:12Z |
| publishDate | 2016-02-01 |
| publisher | International Mountain Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mountain Research and Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-43c9fad157aa404788150f167e6d17da2022-12-21T20:29:16ZengInternational Mountain SocietyMountain Research and Development0276-47411994-71512016-02-013614155http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00075.1Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection ForestsGiorgio Vacchiano0Roberta Berretti1Enrico Borgogno Mondino2Fabio Meloni3Renzo Motta4Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy; giorgio.vacchiano@unito.itDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyForests provide direct protection to human settlements from hydrogeomorphic hazards. This paper proposes a method for assessing the effect of natural disturbances on the functionality of direct protection forests (DPFs) in order to prioritize management interventions. We georeferenced disturbance data for wildfires, wind and snow damage, avalanches, and insects and overlaid them to a region-wide DPF map. Within each disturbance polygon, we used a Landsat-5 TM image to identify DPFs with insufficient vegetation cover, by using a maximum likelihood classifier of 6 spectral bands plus 5 vegetation indices. For each disturbance agent, we fitted a generalized linear model of the probability of finding a forested pixel, as a function of topography, time since disturbance, distance from disturbance edge, summer precipitation, and drought in the disturbance year. DPFs covered almost half of total forest area in the study region. Disturbance by insects occurred in more than one sixth of all forests. Avalanche and wildfire occurred each in about one tenth of total forest area, and wind and snow disturbance in only 1%. In the last 50 years, disturbances had a recurrence rate of 3% every 10 years. Almost one sixth of DPFs are currently lacking sufficient forest cover. Wildfires resulted in the highest rate of nonforested pixels (42% of all DPFs), followed by avalanches (21%). Forest recovery was explained by time elapsed, distance from edge (for conifers), and aspect. Summer precipitation and drought had a mixed influence. Our approach to assessing the effect of disturbances on the functionality of DPFs is reproducible in all mountain regions using institutional or open-access geographic data and provides a tool to prioritize DPF management by indicating where restoration of protection is most urgent.http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00075.1natural disturbance regimeecosystem serviceswildfireLandsatLymantria monachanatural hazardsprotection forestsrestorationZeiraphera griseana |
| spellingShingle | Giorgio Vacchiano Roberta Berretti Enrico Borgogno Mondino Fabio Meloni Renzo Motta Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests Mountain Research and Development natural disturbance regime ecosystem services wildfire Landsat Lymantria monacha natural hazards protection forests restoration Zeiraphera griseana |
| title | Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests |
| title_full | Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests |
| title_short | Assessing the Effect of Disturbances on the Functionality of Direct Protection Forests |
| title_sort | assessing the effect of disturbances on the functionality of direct protection forests |
| topic | natural disturbance regime ecosystem services wildfire Landsat Lymantria monacha natural hazards protection forests restoration Zeiraphera griseana |
| url | http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00075.1 |
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