99th ESA Annual Meeting (August 10 15, 2014)

6/2/2015

99th ESA Annual Meeting (August 10 15, 2014)


COS 69 On the use of highfidelity remote sensing to evaluate ecological indicators: A case study using the Rim Fire Monday, August 11, 2014: 4:20 PM Regency Blrm A, Hyatt Regency Hotel Carlos Ramirez , Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab, USDA Forest Service, McClelland, CA Alexander Koltunov , Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing, Davis, CA Susan Ustin , Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing, Davis, CA Angeles Casas , Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA Background/Question/Methods The third largest wildfire in California’s recorded history, the Rim Fire, has created numerous challenges for land management agencies ranging from assessing postfire effects, to planning ecological restoration projects that factor in numerous multiscale objectives. Remotely sensed data sources sample the landscape walltowall and provide consistent measurements that facilitate the assessment of changes in ecosystem dynamics and indicators through time. Using existing field data and recently acquired multi temporal imaging spectroscopy (AKA hyperspectral) and highdensity Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, we present several specific examples of how these novel datasets can and are being leveraged to monitor key indicators associated with ecosystem function, structure and composition. The evaluation of these indictors provides essential baseline information to land managers and help set the stage for postfire restoration planning. This case study demonstrates how the intersection of landscape ecology, ecophysiology and multitemporal data is providing information on ecosystem indicators and landscape dynamics at multiple scales. Results/Conclusions Our preliminary results show that the metrics derived from this newergeneration of remotely sensed data serve as suitable proxies for evaluating ecological indicators. While not necessarily a replacement for field based measurements, the coupling of highresolution imaging spectroscopy and LIDAR with field measurements provides spatially contiguous information that enhances sciencebased decision making. With the emphasis that public lands management agencies are placing upon the implementation and evaluation of ecological restoration objectives, these types of tools are essential and will become more commonplace, particularly in landscapelevel assessments. Additionally, this project highlights the critical nature of NASA’s upcoming HyspIRI mission to provide enhanced information on the diverse plant communities within the Rim Fire footprint. http://eco.confex.com/eco/2014/webprogram/Paper49782.html

1/2

6/2/2015


See more of: Ecosystem Management See more of: Contributed Talks

Start Browse Browse by Day Author Index Meeting Information When: August 10 15, 2014 Where: Sacramento, CA

http://eco.confex.com/eco/2014/webprogram/Paper49782.html

2/2