Integrating Soil Data, Forest Habitat Types and NDVI to Assess Habitat Heterogeneity in Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) Stands.
Saved in:
| Title: | Integrating Soil Data, Forest Habitat Types and NDVI to Assess Habitat Heterogeneity in Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) Stands. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Konatowska, Monika1 (AUTHOR), Młynarczyk, Adam2 (AUTHOR), Kowalewski, Wojciech3 (AUTHOR), Walczak, Karolina4 (AUTHOR), Rutkowski, Paweł1 (AUTHOR) pawel.rutkowski@up.poznan.pl |
| Source: | Remote Sensing. Sep2026, Vol. 18 Issue 18, p3147. 24p. |
| Subjects: | Normalized difference vegetation index, European ash, Habitat selection, Remote sensing, Ecological zones, Soils, Ecological heterogeneity |
| Geographic Terms: | Poland, Europe |
| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? NDVI effectively differentiates ash stand habitats. NDVI may serve as a complementary indicator of habitat conditions. What are the implications of the main findings? NDVI can provide a decision-support framework for determining the degree of ecological compatibility between a particular forest habitat type and forest tree species. Divergent NDVI values can be helpful in identifying areas remaining under the influence of various biotic and abiotic stressors. Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) forms stands of significant ecological and economic importance. However, a progressing phenomenon known as ash dieback has been recorded in Europe since 1992. The cause is primarily attributed to the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, but the initial factor allowing for the pathogenic role of fungi may be the weakening of the stands related to changing habitat conditions. Standard (ground-based) analysis of habitat conditions is tedious and costly, but remote sensing methods allow for the use of new tools. Among these are spectral indices, including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The aim of the study was to demonstrate the usefulness of this index in assessing habitat conditions of ash stands in Poland, a country located at the center of the Fraxinus excelsior range. By testing all ash stands in Poland where the share of ash in the stand was at least 80%, habitat conditions diversity covering 19 forest habitat types and 15 soil types was demonstrated. The conducted statistical analyses indicate that the tested habitat parameters affect NDVI in a complex and non-linear manner. The analysis showed that stand age has a minimal impact on NDVI. This means that other factors are responsible for the rapid drops in NDVI values. Differences in NDVI values can be considered the resultant of various habitat factors, illustrating better or worse conditions for a given stand type. Thus, the NDVI index can serve as a decision-support tool for evaluating the extent to which a given forest habitat type meets the ecological requirements of common ash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Remote Sensing is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
Be the first to leave a comment!
