Assessing Ecosystem Condition: Use and Customization of the Vegetation Departure Metric

Randy Swaty, Kori Blankenship, Kimberly R. Hall, Jim Smith, Megan Dettenmaier and Sarah Hagen
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Randy Swaty: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Kori Blankenship: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Kimberly R. Hall: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Jim Smith: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Megan Dettenmaier: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Sarah Hagen: North America Science-LANDFIRE, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA

Land, 2021, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Assessment of ecosystem change often focuses on the degree of conversion and representation in networks of protected areas. While essential, these factors alone do not provide a holistic index of ecosystem conditions. Metrics that compare the current state of ecosystems to a meaningful reference condition can help identify “hidden” risks, lost functions, and provide conservation and management-relevant insights. Here we review a departure metric that can be used to measure ecosystem conditions and its implementation for all lands in the United States by the LANDFIRE Program. We then use two case studies to demonstrate how manually calculating the departure metric is used to explore under- and over-representation of structural stages. Finally, we document the assumptions, interpretation, and limitations of the departure metric, and discuss its current and possible future applications.

Keywords: ecosystem assessment; ecosystem condition; LANDFIRE; vegetation departure; vegetation structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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