Abstract
The objectives of the study are; (1) To stratify the proposed plantation site into defined land cover types using satellite imagery; (2) To assess the level of canopy cover and (3) Ecological stratification of forest and savanna according to vegetation cover based on a terrestrially assessed parameter canopy cover was conducted as a supervised classification of satellite image. Two vegetation strata were identified and classified as forest and savanna. The forest vegetation featured an open canopy structure with an estimated average canopy cover of 21.6 ± 3.2%. The canopy cover ranges from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 51.8%. A tree species assessment recorded a total of 65 tree species belonging to 49 genera and 23 families. A comparison of the tree composition of the forest and savanna vegetation strata revealed no significant differences. A literature review of the inventoried tree species revealed that, the majority of tree species are characteristic forest species (47.7%), while typical savanna woodland species and species found in both vegetation types recording 36.9 and 15.4% respectively. Key words: Mapping, transition zone, canopy cover, species diversity, Ghana.
Highlights
The tropical forests are estimated to host more than four-fifth of the world’s biodiversity (FAO, 2001) but despite the high populations and rapid deforestation in recent years (FAO, 2005), the tropical forest still retains about half of the world’s species, even though they occupy only seven percent of the land area (Wilson, 1992)
The mapping of the foreseen plantation site according to vegetation cover, conducted as a supervised classification resulted in a ratio of land covered by forest vegetation to to land covered by savanna vegetation of 1.8 : 1.0
Fifty five sample plots were systematically distributed over the proposed plantation site, but due to the aforementioned, only 35 sample plots could be utilized for the mapping of the proposed plantation site. 25 sample plots contained forest vegetation and were used for the supervised classification of the forest vegetation stratum. 10 sample plots contained savanna vegetation and were used for the supervised classification of the savanna vegetation stratum
Summary
The tropical forests are estimated to host more than four-fifth of the world’s biodiversity (FAO, 2001) but despite the high populations and rapid deforestation in recent years (FAO, 2005), the tropical forest still retains about half of the world’s species, even though they occupy only seven percent of the land area (Wilson, 1992). Africa accounts for more than half of the global forest area damaged by wildfires (FAO, 2007). From being exporters of tropical logs in the 1980s and 1990s, many countries are finding that their forest resources have depleted to such an extent that they are unable to even meet the domestic demand for wood and wood products (FOSA, 2003). The estimated area of forest plantations, a subset of planted forests defined as those consisting primarily of introduced species is about 52 million hectares worldwide and accounts for app. The purpose of tree plantations are generally grouped into economic, Tom-Dery et al
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