Remote Sensing of Vegetation Responses During the First 20 Years Following the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens: A Spatially and Temporally Stratified Analysis

The variety of disturbance mechanisms involved in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens (e.g., heat, burial, and impact force) and the resulting diversity of vegetation responses have provided abundant opportunities for disturbance-zone-specific research (Frenzen 1992; Frenzen et al. 1994). As evidenced by the research reported in this volume, tremendous amounts of knowledge can be acquired from studies that focus on vegetation responses within individual disturbance zones, such as the debris-avalanche deposit. As the responses to the eruption continue to develop, however, it becomes increasingly important to understand the larger context for specific study sites: What responses are common among disturbance zones? And what responses are distinctive to certain disturbance mechanisms and sites? Can the lessons from a local area be generalized throughout the disturbed area or even throughout a zone dominated by one disturbance type? These questions can be addressed in at least two ways: