| dc.description |
From a landscape ecology perspective, meadows are often seen as landscapes in
transition. Succession and change in meadows may be investigated by considering the
physical and anthropogenic factors that influence the landscape through time. What is
often unknown is how changes occur and how physical and anthropogenic factors
contribute to these changes. The purpose of this study was to investigate land cover
changes between 1947 and 2003 in the “Ranches” meadow, located within Silver Falls
State Park, Oregon, and examine what physical and anthropogenic factors played a
role in these changes. The analysis was conducted by interpreting land cover patterns
from historical information, aerial photographs, and GIS data. The basic land cover
changes observed were that forest cover doubled in size, grassland and shrub cover
were reduced by half, and wetland cover grew by 9% between 1947 and 2003. The
factors of slope, historic vegetation, and land ownership all strongly influenced the
nature and distribution of these land cover changes. These results will provide land
managers with information useful for future restoration efforts and researchers with
additional findings to consider related to the landscape ecology of meadows. |
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