Swiss tree lines - a GIS-based Approximation

Landscape Online

Erich Szerencsits¹ 

[1] Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART, Agricultural Landscapes and Biodiversity, Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046 Zürich, Switzerland;

关键词: Forest line;    Geographic information system;    GIS;    Moving-window analysis;    Reforestation;    Switzerland;    Tree line;   

DOI  :  10.3097/LO.201228

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Mountain timber lines are relevant in the context of land abandonment and climate change. For Switzerland, GIS-compliant delimitations of the tree line and the forest line are still lacking. Recent high-resolution landcover information offers new possibilities for GIS-based approaches. In a Swiss-wide study, an analysis based on slope zones was combined with a moving-window analysis to assess tree and forest line altitude, using topographic data. The tree and the forest lines were delimited at the upper altitude reached by a tree or closed forest respectively. The model delivered a fine-scaled delimitation sensitive to local conditions. The results indicate that earlier studies underestimated the tree line altitudes for the fringes of the Alps. Also the variability inside climatic and bio-geographical regions is larger than it was estimated up to now.

【 授权许可】

Unknown