Jse and Urban
CRS 2007 The
nsing (12-16
TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS OF FOREST CHANGES IN NORTHERN AREA OF
CHANGBAI MOUNTAINS, CHINA FROM LANDSAT TM IMAGE
F.Huang * *, H.J.Zhang, P.Wang?
" School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China -
joycehf@126.com
® School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China —
lovercrane@hotmail.com
Commission VIII, WG VIII/8
KEY WORDS: Land cover, trajectory analysis, Forest, Landsat, GIS, Changbai Mountains,
ABSTRACT:
Based on the information from integrated Landsat TM/ETM images and geographic information systems (GIS), using dynamic
model, landscape indices and temporal trajectory analysis, spatio-temporal changes in forest in the northern area of Changbai
Mountains were investigated in the past 20 years. The results showed that the forests decreased by 141461 ha at the annual decrease
rate of 0.19% from 1986 to 2006. The numbers of forest patch increased, while the patch size of forest land declined. Forestland
experienced the process of substantial fragmentation. Close forest showed a net reduction of 13.3x10*ha. The typical trajectories of
forest changes included forestland-forestland-cropland, forestland-cropland-cropland, forestland-forestland-grassland and forestland-
cropland-built-up land. The total area of human-induced change is 1.7 times than that of natural change in the study area. Population,
cropland area and gross domestic product increased significantly as forests decreased.
1. INTRODUCTION
Forest plays a critical role in the global terrestrial ecosystems.
With the economic development and population growth, forest
ecosystems are being rapidly degraded or endangered in many
regions of the world (Li et al. 2009). Forest fragmentation due
to land use is a major reason for the declining biodiversity in
forest ecosystems and considered to be a primary threat to
terrestrial biodiversity (Harris 1984; Armsworth et al. 2004;
Pichancourt et al. 2006; Cakir et al. 2008). Quantitative and
spatial forest change information is critical for addressing many
pressing issues including global climate change, carbon budgets
and sustainability.
Changbai Mountain, the highest mountain in the east of the
Eurasian Continent, is covered with a wide range of distinct
altitudinal vegetation types featuring the Earth’s richest
biodiversity in the cool temperate zone (Tang et al. 2011).
Coupling with natural disturbance (e.g. fire, insects), substantial
losses of the old-growth forests and fragmentation in forest
landscapes of Northeast China has been found during the last
decades, driven from human activities, especially forest clear-
cutting, logging and agricultural encroachment. Most of the
mixed broadleaf/Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forests have
been replaced (plantation-style) by faster-growing species such
as larch (Larix sp.), poplar (Populus sp.) and birch (Betula sp.)
(Jiang et al. 1999; Xiao et al. 2002). Till now, most of the
efforts have been focused on the forest landscape change in
Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve and its surrounding areas
or in the forested areas under the jurisdiction of forestry
enterprises (Zheng et al. 1997; Zhao et al. 2001; Chang et al.
2003, 2004; Yu et al. 2004; Hao et al. 2004; Liu et al. 2005a;
Wang et al. 2009; Deng et al. 2010; Huang and Jiang 2010;
Tang et al. 2010; Dai et al. 2010). The objectives of this study
* Corresponding author.
were to quantify the spatio-temporal pattern of forests, and to
characterize the forests fragmentation process and forest change
trajectories of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in the
northern foot of the Changbai Mountains during 1986-2006.
2. STUDY AREA
The study area is located in 41?59'-44?30' N, 127?27'-131?18' E,
which covers an area of 4.3x10*km°, accounting for a quarter of
the total area of Jilin Province. It borders Russia in the east and
faces Democratic People's Republic of Korea across the Tumen
River in the south. Bearing a temperate humid monsoon climate,
the study area is characterized by four clear seasons. Annual
mean temperature in this area is between 2 and 6°C, and annual
average precipitation ranges from 400 to 650 mm. The sunshine
duration is 2300-2800 hours, and no ground frost exists for 50-
100 days. The annual average wind velocity is 2-4 m/s. Here
the broadleaved/Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest
dominates. The main soil types include grey-brown forest soil,
white starched soil and meadow soil. Since the 1950s, large-
scale clear cutting and selective cutting have been made in this
area, which resulted in gradual degradation of the forest
ecosystem (Zhang et al. 1999). Historically, the prefecture
consisted mainly of remote agricultural communities engaged in
small scale farming, especially rice farming. Agriculture has
been a very important pillar of the local economy throughout
the study area for a long period.
3. METHODS
