Landsat-based monitoring of landscape dynamics at Isle Royale National Park: 1995–2017
Kirschbaum AA. 2021. Landsat-based monitoring of landscape dynamics at Isle Royale National Park: 1995–2017. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/GLKN/NRDS—2021/1324. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Landscape disturbances such as forest harvest, blowdowns, fire, and development activities create patches on the landscape that modify the structure and function of ecosystems and watersheds. Understanding the timing, location, size and intensity of these disturbances can assist resource managers while making decisions regarding management options. To provide information regarding these metrics, the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network implemented a long-term monitoring project to quantify landscape dynamics inside and surrounding Isle Royale National Park using an automated satellite-based change detection program called LandTrendr (Landsat-based detection of trends in disturbance and recovery). This is the second report for Isle Royale NP and varies slightly from the original report published in 2012 in terms of analysis area and the time period analyzed. We have doubled the analysis area outside the park and have increased the number of years analyzed from 2003–2008 (6 years) to 1995–2017 (23 years). Inside the park, disturbances due to beaver affected the largest amount of land (20.16 ha, average 0.87 ha per year), followed closely by fire (15.80 ha, average 0.69 ha per year), with blowdown being the only remaining disturbance that was detected inside the park (1.44 ha). Lands adjacent the park in Ontario, Canada, experienced far greater levels of disturbance, with forest pathogens accounting for about half of the land disturbed outside the park (15.03%, average 0.65% per year). The second most prevalent disturbance agent outside the park was forest harvest, with 14.52% (average 0.63% per year) of the land disturbed outside the park during the 23-year analysis period. Long-term monitoring of this analysis area will contribute to our understanding of how these disturbances may affect the dispersal of wildlife to the island.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Kirschbaum, Alan
- Date of Issue
- 2021-04
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GLKN , ISRO , NRSS
- Keywords
- disturbance, Land Use Monitor, LandTrendr, Michigan, Ontario