Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 173-185
Long-term dynamics of spruce forests of Lake Shchuchye Reserve based on satellite data
A.V. Kiselev
1 , A.A. Tronin
1 , S.G. Kritsuk
1 , V.I. Gornyy
1 , V.N. Khramtsov
2 1 Saint Petersburg Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2 Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Accepted: 14.03.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-2-173-185
The work is devoted to determining the condition of the forests of the regional nature reserve Lake Shchuchye (Saint Petersburg) and adjacent territories using the medium-resolution satellite data. Since 2021, drying of spruce forests has been recorded based on satellite observations. The proportion of damaged spruce forests was determined for the territory of the reserve. As a result of comparison of two spectral indices — Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) — it was found that the damage is perfectly indicated using the NDWI index computed from Sentinel-2 satellite data. Lake Shchuchye Reserve is a unique natural object within St. Petersburg area established to preserve the taiga forests typical of the Karelian Isthmus and a set of water-glacial landforms. The importance of the study is coming from significant recreational value of the object and rapid changes in plant communities occurring in it. The purpose of the study is to analyze the dynamics of the reserve forests, primarily spruce. The research method used was multispectral space imagery obtained from the Landsat-7 and Sentinel-2 satellites. Data processing consisted in constructing vegetation indices characterizing the state of vegetation. At the next step, time series of indices were constructed for various forest areas, and the zones of affected spruce forests were found. Inspections of the reserve forest condition were carried out annually. As a result of the research, a sharp change in the condition of spruce forests in the reserve was discovered. Since 2022, there has been a significant decrease in the values of vegetation indices of spruce forests. Currently, in many forest areas, adult spruce trees have completely died out. As of 2024, the area of forest damage in the reserve is estimated at 124 hectares compared to 2018, which is approximately 12 % of the total forest area. The area of damaged spruce forests reaches 74 hectares, which is approximately 55 % of the spruce forest area; there is also damage to spruce-pine forests. The presumed cause of the drying out of spruce forest is a mass outbreak of the bark beetle. The condition of other forests in the reserve, pine forests primarily, does not raise concern, except for the high recreational load. In conclusion: medium-resolution satellite data are efficient for assessing the condition of forests and allow detecting abrupt changes in vegetation, and it is also necessary to carry out joint measures by the authorities of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region to prevent further damage to the forests.
Keywords: remote sensing, satellite, health of ecosystem, Karelian Isthmus, bark beetle, degradation of spruce forests
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