Reindeer Pasture Biomass Assessment Using Satellite Remote Sensing

The present state of reindeer winter and summer pastures in northern Finland has been mapped using field sampling, remote sensing, and GIS. The winter pasture inventory was made during 1995-96 and the summer pasture inventory during 1997-98. Winter pastures can be divided into ground lichen and arboreal lichen pastures. Autumn pastures, including pastures with grasses, dwarf shrubs, and mushrooms, were also mapped and added to the inventory of winter pastures. Summer and winter pastures partly overlap, but the main pasture areas are clearly distinct from each other. Major summer feeding areas are marshes, mires and river meadows, and mountain birch woodland. Biomass data were obtained by volumetric calculations of lichens and standard samples of the green parts of summer fodder plants. The results show that the most abundant lichen resources are found in the northern part of the management area, while the most abundant summer pasture resources prevail in the middle and southern parts. The overall accuracy of the winter pasture mosaic is 88%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.84. The overall accuracy of the summer pasture mosaic is 84%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.81.

[1]  I. Kojola,et al.  Foraging conditions, tooth wear and herbivore body reserves: a study of female reindeer , 1998, Oecologia.

[2]  N. Tyler.  Natural limitation of the abundance of the high Arctic Svalbard reindeer , 1987 .

[3]  P. Lent,et al.  Caribou Feeding Sites in Relation to Snow Characteristics in Northeastern Alaska , 1977 .

[4]  J. Kumpula.  Winter grazing of reindeer in woodland lichen pasture. Effect of lichen availability on the condition of reindeer. , 2001, Small ruminant research : the journal of the International Goat Association.

[5]  J. Kumpula,et al.  Remote sensing, a tool for reindeer range land management , 1995, Polar Record.

[6]  T. Skogland.  RELATIONSHIP TO WILD MOUNTAIN REINDEER (RANGIFER TARANDUS TARANDUS L.) FEEDING STRATEGIES , 1978 .

[7]  李幼升,et al.  Ph , 1989 .

[8]  I. Kojola,et al.  Effects of lichen biomass on winter diet, body mass and reproduction of semi-domesticated reindeer Rangifer t. tarandus in Finland , 1995, Wildlife Biology.

[9]  D. Fraser,et al.  The behaviour of Ungulates and its relation to management , 1975 .

[10]  J. Kumpula,et al.  Productivity factors of the Finnish semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer t.tarandus) stock during the 1990s , 2002 .

[11]  R. Heikkinen,et al.  On the recovery of mountain birch after Epirrita damage in Finnish Lapland, with a particular emphasis on reindeer grazing , 1995 .

[12]  Helena M. Henttonen,et al.  Valtakunnan metsien 8. inventoinnin menetelmä ja tulokset metsäkeskuksittain Pohjois-Suomessa 1992–94 sekä tulokset Etelä-Suomessa 1986–92 ja koko maassa 1986–94 , 1970 .

[13]  V. Andreyev.  Reindeer Pastures in the Subarctic Territories of the U.S.S.R. , 1977 .

[14]  Lumipeitteen vaikutus Käsivarren porolukuihin: mikä on Pohjois-Atlantin säävaihtelun (NAO) merkitys? , 2001 .

[15]  T. Helle,et al.  Lichen ranges, animal densities and production in Finnish reindeer management , 1990 .

[16]  E. H. McEwan,et al.  Seasonal changes in the energy and nitrogen intake in reindeer and caribou. , 1970, Canadian journal of zoology.

[17]  Pastures, calf production and carcass weights of reindeer calves in the Oraniemi co-operative, Finnish Lapland , 1992 .

[18]  A. Cajander,et al.  Forest types and their significance. , 1949 .

[19]  P. Pellikka,et al.  Remote sensing of the impact of reindeer grazing on vegetation in northern Fennoscandia using SPOT XS data , 1994 .

[20]  J. Kumpula,et al.  Condition, potential recovery rate, and productivity of lichen (Cladonia spp.) ranges in the Finnish reindeer management area. , 2000 .

[21]  S. Eltringham,et al.  The Behavior of Ungulates and its Relation to Management. , 1975 .

[22]  Jouni Filppa.  Reindeer husbandry in Finland , 2005 .

[23]  P. Pelto.  The snowmobile revolution : technology and social change in the Arctic , 1976 .

[24]  J. Kumpula,et al.  Reproduction and productivity of semidomesticated reindeer in northern Finland , 1998 .

[25]  A. Smith,et al.  Application of Vegetation Science to Grassland Husbandry , 1977, Handbook of Vegetation Science.