Spectral and Ecological Characterization of Yellowtsone Lodgepole Pine Cover Types

Accurate mapping of forest successional stages, or cover types, is critical for fire behavior prediction, animal habitat management, and preservation of biodiversity. Two research projects were based at the UW /NPS Research Station during the 1993 summer field season. The first project is a continuation of work begun in 1992, in which Landsat Thematic Mapper multispectral data are being used to identify the spectral reflectance characteristics of Yellowstone lodgepole pine cover types, and examine the relationships between spectral and biotic factors. A second project to characterize interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in lodgepole pine cover types using a portable integrating radiometer was initiated in 1993, but poor field conditions limited the number of samples that were taken.