Forest Ecosystem Quality Change over Ten Years (2000-2010) in the Three Gorges Dalaoling Nature Reserve

To understand the quality of the forest ecosystem in Hubei Dalaoling Provincial Nature Reserve in the Three Gorges area, we used remote sensing satellite image data combined with field survey and available material to conduct a comparative study of changes in above-ground biomass (AGB), leaf area index (LAI) and net primary productivity (NPP) from 2000 to 2010. Results showed that:(1) AGB decreased over the 10 years, but the decline was very small, indicating that the vegetation structure of the Dalaoling forest ecosystem is relatively stable. However, further management mechanisms are still required to reduce human disturbance; (2) According to annual average LAI, medium(1.6 - 2.2) and relatively high level LAI(1.6 - 2.8) accounted for the major proportion of LAI, and the annual average LAI between 1.6 - 2.8 accounted for more than 90% of total area and showed an increasing trend, suggesting that vegetation is vigorous and growing well; (3) Total NPP increased slowly over the 10 years, from 4.99 × 10¹⁰ gC in 2000 to 5.07 × 10¹⁰ gC in 2010. The forest ecosystem has rich forest types, strong heterogeneity and high production capacity. Comprehensive analysis suggested that the forest ecosystem quality in Dalaoling Nature Reserve is generally good and has maintained good stability over the last 10 years, which is a reflection of conservation and protection measures.