Mitchell
The next scene to examine landcover change is an example of The New. It also is from Queensland, the state with the most dynamic pastoral industry. The scene is located near the town of Mitchell in southern Queensland, and all three FCC images have interesting patterns and colours.
Use your browser to open each image in a new window to compare them.
The extent of detectable landcover change is quite staggering. By examining the Difference FCC image and referring to the 1973 and 1991 FCC images, the landcover change can be interpreted as resulting from clearing. The woodlands cleared are mostly brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) along with poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea). The mechanical clearing of these woodlands is to promote the yield of the grassy understorey for pastoralism as well as for cropping. The scale of clearing evident in the north of the scene is remarkable both from space and on the ground. In much of the area, the new grass pastures have been supplemented by the sowing of a highly successful established exotic grass species, Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris).
