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Stephen F. Austin State University

GIS

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Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten Jan 2008

Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten

Faculty Publications

Maintenance of a sustainable clean water supply is critical for our future. However, watershed degradation is a common phenomenon around the world that leads to poor water quality. In order to protect water resources, the Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS), was developed as an extension of ArcGIS® and is described in this paper. There are three submodels to address nonpoint source pollution mitigation, road system management, and silvicultural operations, respectively. The Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) is a zoning approach to prioritize critical areas for conservation and restoration management. It meets the critical need to spatially differentiate land cover …


Evaluating Forest Harvesting To Reduce Its Hydrologic Impact With A Spatial Decision Support System, Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten, Ramanathan Sugumaran Jan 2008

Evaluating Forest Harvesting To Reduce Its Hydrologic Impact With A Spatial Decision Support System, Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten, Ramanathan Sugumaran

Faculty Publications

Timber harvesting changes the condition of forest ecosystems, which are a major influence on the characteristics of headwater streams. Such characteristics include the quantity and timing of base flow and storm flow, concentrations of sediment and dissolved nutrients, water temperature, and the stability of the stream channels. This paper explores previous studies dealing with the relationship between timber harvesting and its hydrologic effects, especially long term water yield increase. The watershed disturbance threshold theory is raised and investigated in detail. The development and evaluation of a spatial decision support system, the Harvest Schedule Review System (HSRS), is then described. The …


Comparison Of Presettlement And Present Vegetation Cover Of Marion County, Illinois Using A Geographic Information System, Daniel Unger Jan 1998

Comparison Of Presettlement And Present Vegetation Cover Of Marion County, Illinois Using A Geographic Information System, Daniel Unger

Faculty Presentations

The vegetation types of Marion County, Illinois prior to European settlement, which were derived from soil association surveys, were compared to a satellite map of current vegetation types to quantify their change over time. GIS analysis indicates that 10% of presettlement prairie is currently grassland, 2% of presettlement prairie has been converted to forest, 32% of original prairie has been converted to agriculture and urban use, 17% of presettlement forest remains intact, grassland comprises 18% of presettlement forest while 21% of presettlement forest has been converted to agricultural and urban use.