Evolución de la dinámica vegetal mediante una serie de imágenes Landsat TM(1986-2011): región central de Chihuahua, México

In this research we have analyzed the temporal and spatial evolution of vegetation dynamics on various land covers in the watershed of Laguna Bustillos, in the region ofCuauhtémoc,Chihuahua, México. It was used a time series of NDVI for the month of April (early spring). The series was constructed from Landsat TM for the period 1986-2011. The results show an increase of NDVI for vegetated areas, to a greater extent for hedging conifers, while grassland and scrub showed a positive trend but with lower statistical significance. The increase in minimum temperatures in early spring during the study period was the most important factor to explain the increase in NDVI in vegetated areas. A spatially distributed analysis shows large areas without NDVI trend, which correspond to areas with low vegetation cover (degraded areas). Moreover, also areas appear with a negative trend (loss of vegetation), that can be explained by the extraction of wood to be used like firewood, mainly carried in the communal land of the region.