ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2021, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 140-148

Detection of clear-cuts using satellite-derived global forest change product

E.G. Shvetsov 1 , E.I. Ponomarev 1 
1 Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Accepted: 05.07.2021
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2021-18-4-140-148
We propose a method for logged areas monitoring using a satellite product of global forest change based on Landsat data and additional GIS layers (land cover, fires). A thematic clear-cut product was created for the Lower Angara region covering 2001–2019 with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The accuracy assessment performed for a sample of clear-cut polygons (about 1500 polygons) in the Angara forest region showed that the thematic product tends to underestimate clear-cut areas roughly by 20 %. The magnitude of the error of the first type (logged area that was missed by the algorithm) was about 27 % of the total area, while the error of the second type (erroneously classified clear cuts) was about 8 %. Total disturbed area between 2001 and 2019 was about 1.8 million ha, while the total area of clear-cuts was 512 thousand ha. Almost 43 % of all logged area occurred in pine-dominated (Pinus silvestris) forest stands, 26 % — in dark coniferous (Pinus sibirica, Abies sibirica, Picea obovata) stands, 25 % — in larch (Larix sibirica) stands and 5 % — in deciduous (Betula spp. , Populus tremula) forests. Mean logged area is ~27.0±12.2 thousand hectares per year. Linear approximation shows a statistically significant trend (r2 = 0.63) of an increase in the logged area within the study area.
Keywords: Angara forest region, clear-cuts, remote sensing data, Landsat
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