Analysis of landscape fragmentation in the Peloncillo Mountains in relation to wildfire, prescribed burning, and cattle grazing

Abstract

This paper examined the application of state-of-the-art remote sensing image enhancement and classification techniques for mapping land cover change in the Peloncillo Mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. Spectrally enhanced images acquired August 1985, 1991, 1996, and 2000 were combined with environmental variables such as slope and aspect to map land cover modifications using a machine learning classifier. Change-map accuracies ranged between 68% and 80%. Maximum land cover change occurred in grassland ecosystems (>25% change in cover), caused primarily by prescribed burning practices in the region.

Parent Publication

• Connecting mountain islands and desert seas: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II

Citation

Rogan, John; O''Neal, Kelley; Yool, Stephen. 2005. Analysis of landscape fragmentation in the Peloncillo Mountains in relation to wildfire, prescribed burning, and cattle grazing. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Edminster, Carleton B., comps. Connecting mountain islands and desert seas: biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II. Proc. RMRS-P-36. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 256-259