Spatial heterogeneity of lodgepole pine sapling densities following the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

Large disturbances create spatial heterogeneity in vegetation re-establishment, and documenting such variability is critical for understanding and predicting succession. We quantified the spatial heterogeneity of lodgepole pine sapling densities 10 years after the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park using color infrared orthophotographs. Densities were classified across the landscape at an accuracy of 70.9%, and landscape metrics were used to characterize their spatial variability. Densities ranged from 0 to > 500 000 saplings/ha, but >60% of the burned area was represented by densities