Analysis Long-Term and Spatial Changes of Forest Cover in Typical Karst Areas of China

Fei Chen, Xiaoyong Bai (), Fang Liu, Guangjie Luo, Yichao Tian, Luoyi Qin, Yue Li, Yan Xu, Jinfeng Wang, Luhua Wu, Chaojun Li, Sirui Zhang and Chen Ran
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Fei Chen: College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Xiaoyong Bai: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Fang Liu: College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Guangjie Luo: Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic State Monitoring of Watershed, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China
Yichao Tian: College of Resources and Environmental, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
Luoyi Qin: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Yue Li: College of Public Management, GuiZhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
Yan Xu: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Jinfeng Wang: College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Luhua Wu: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Chaojun Li: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Sirui Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
Chen Ran: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: In recent decades, China has exhibited the fastest and most remarkable social-economic development in the world. As a result of such development, the forest cover of the country has undergone radical changes. This paper aims to develop a method for analyzing long-term and spatial changes in forest cover based on historical maps and remote sensing images. Moreover, we will focus on the reduction or restoration of forests distributed at different altitudes, slopes, soils, and lithologic types in different periods, to reveal the problems that should be paid attention to in forest restoration in karst areas. A typical county of China was selected as the study area. A historical military operation map was considered the principal source of basic data. These data were then combined with Landsat satellite images to conduct quantitative analysis on changes in the spatial area and location of forest cover with a long time series. The findings are as follows: in terms of time series, the forest area in the study area showed a trend of decreasing at first and then increasing, with the year 1986 as the turning point. In terms of spatial patterns, a considerable difference is observed in regions with changes in forest cover under different historical periods. Changes are obvious in limestone areas, rock soil areas, and areas with an elevation of 2000–2500 m and a slope gradient of 6°–15°. Spatial–temporal changes in forest cover reflect the effects of the war, national policy, and economic development to some extent. All these results indicate that, despite its limitations, a historical map is a valuable document for studying an ecological environment.

Keywords: forest cover; old maps; spatial–temporal changes; forest landscape; transfer matrix (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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