Mechanics of Monitoring Forest Clearcuts and Their Regeneration

A framework for the identification and monitoring of forest clearcuts and their regeneration is presented. LANDSAT digital data are classified to detect clearcuts and their major regeneration components, including brush, grass, bare soil, and conifer. Historical LANDSAT digital data are used to provide a changedetection analysis of forest conditions. Area summaries of land cover are obtained for the entire study area or for subunits. A graphic digitizer is used to provide an overlay to the LANDSAT ,digital land cover classification in order to summarize land cover area by physical and/or political boundaries. Individual clearcuts are analyzed within each summary unit for the size of the clearcut, the type of regenerated land cover, and other site-specific accounting information; Output products include tabular summaries of the area of each land cover, and black and white or color maps of geographically referenced land cover data. Ancillary data affecting land cover management decision-making, such as topography ~r climate can be graphically interfaced with LANDSAT-derived land cover information and "specialized" composite maps produced. These "specialized" maps provide an added dimension in resource management planning.