Abstract
The purpose of this study was to monitor the vegetation dynamics of a landslide on Shanping
Forest Road (at 5.3 Km) using a wireless sensor network system and field floristic surveys
between 2011 and 2013. In April 2011, 3 dynamic plots (20×20 m) were demarcated on the landslide. At the center of each quadrate, a small quadrate (1×1 m) was demarcated to survey understory plants. All live woody stems with a diameter at breast height (dbh) of ≧1 cm in the dynamic plots were identified and grouped into relevant species, measured for dbh and canopy crown, and mapped onto an X-Y coordinate position. Floristic surveys were conducted in April
and October of every year for dry and rainy season data, respectively. Image J software was
used to analyze vegetation photographs to estimate the vegetation cover of the landslide area. Importance value (IV) parameters were used to describe the population structure of the plants. Proportions of vegetation that covered the landslide area were 6.86% (Apr. 2011), 17.96% (Otc. 2011), 14.68% (Apr. 2012), 30.5% (Otc. 2012), 15.9% (Apr. 2013), and 33.4% (Otc. 2013). The proportion of vegetation gradually increased each year, and a conspicuous difference existed
in the amount of vegetation between the dry and rainy seasons. The forest canopy surrounding
the landslide was dominated by pioneer trees such as Trema orientalis, Mallotus paniculatus, Macaranga tanarius, Hibiscus taiwanensis, and Rhus javanica. Their IVs did not gradually
increase each years and a conspicuous difference existed in the amount of vegetation between
the dry and rainy seasons. The IV dynamics of Mikania micrantha gradually decreased each
year. In contrast, the IVs of Bidens. pilosa increased each year.