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Automatically extracting drainage networks from digital elevation models coupled with the constant stream threshold value is a regular method. These extracted networks can be verified by comparing the channel initiation points with those from real networks. From the results analysed, the differences in channel initiation points will affect the network geometries, geomorphological indices and hydrological responses. This paper develops two automatic algorithms, the headwater-tracing method and the fitness index, to trace the flow paths from headwaters to the outlet and to calculate the reasonable stream threshold. Instead of the method determined by trial and error or field survey, the accurate channel initiation points can be obtained from airborne photographs coupled with high-resolution SPOT images for suitable drainage network extraction. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

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The catastrophic earthquake, 7.3 on the Richter scale, occurred on September 21, 1999 in Central Taiwan. Much of standing vegetation on slopes was eliminated and massive, scattered landslides were induced at the Jou-Jou Mountain area of the Wu-Chi basin in Nantou County. We evaluated three methods for assessing landslide hazard and vegetation recovery conditions. (1) Self-organizing map (SOM) neural network coupled with fuzzy technique was used to quickly extract the landslide. (2) The NDVI-based vegetation recovery index derived from multi-temporal SPOT satellite images was used to evaluate vegetation recovery rate in the denudation sites. (3) The spatial distribution index (SDI) based on land-cover topographic location was employed to analyze vegetation recovery patterns, including the invading, surviving and mixed patterns at the Jou-Jou Mountain area. On September 27, 1999, there were 849.20 ha of landslide area extracted using the self-organizing map and fuzzy technique combined model. After six years of natural vegetation succession, the landslide has gradually restored, and vegetation recovery rate reached up to 86%. On-site observation shows that many native pioneer plants have invaded onto the denudation sites even if disturbed by several typhoons. Two native surviving plants, Arundo formosana Hack and Pinus taiwanensis Hayata, play a vital role in natural vegetation succession in this area, especially for the sites on ridgeline and steep slopes.