Forest Fragmentation Patterns in Maine Watersheds and Prediction of Visible Crown Diameter in Recent Undisturbed Forest

 FOREST FRAGMENTATION PATTERNS IN MAINE WATERSHEDS

AND PREDICTION OF VISIBLE CROWN DIAMETER

IN RECENT UNDISTURBED FOREST

By Brianne E. Looze

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Steven A. Sader

An Abstract of the Thesis Presented

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Master of Science

    (in Forest Resources)

 May, 2012

Using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) - based forest cover and change maps fragmentation metrics, and Principal Components Analysis (PCA), this study determined the extent and configuration of forest fragmentation within three ecoregions and 186 level 5 watersheds throughout the state of Maine from 1991-2007. Forests in the Northeastern ecoregion had higher harvest rates and more interspersed patches of undisturbed forest. Forests in the South-Central ecoregion are composed of more, smaller patches than their Northeastern and Western counterparts but had the highest proportion of undisturbed forest at the end of the study period. Methods using multiple sources of remotely sensed data, topographic and site index data were combined in a modeling application to predict visible crown diameter (VCD) as a proxy for tree size in recent undisturbed forest, stands that were not harvested between 1972 and 2007. Results indicated differences in VCD ranges and importance of predictive variables between softwood, mixedwood, and hardwood forest cover.