Textural analysis of high resolution imagery to quantify bush encroachmentin Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa, 1955-1996

Fire suppression associated with decades of cattle grazing can result in bu sh encroachment in savannas. Textural analyses of historical, high resoluti on gh images was used to characterize bush densities across a South African study landscape. A control site, where vegetation was assumed to have chan ged minimally for the duration of the image record (1955-1996), was used to standardize textural values between multidate images. Standardized textura l values were then converted to estimates of percent woody canopy cover usi ng a simple linear regression model. Results indicate a 30% relative increa se in percent woody cover between 1955 and 1996.