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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, 2025, V. 22, No. 5, pp. 207-221

Recent trends in forest cover changes in the Central Russian forest-steppe

E.A. Terekhin 1 
1 Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod, Russia
Accepted: 27.08.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-5-207-221
The spatiotemporal forest cover change is one of key factors determining the characteristics and processes in landscapes. The article analyzes long-term changes in the forest cover of the Central Russian forest-steppe from the mid-1980s to the first half of the third decade of the 21st century. The indicators of forest cover change, area and spatial characteristics of forested lands were studied on a network of 25 sites located within the region. The indicators included total forest area, average forest area, forest boundary length and forest density. Over a period of almost forty years, the average growth in forest cover in the region was 36 %, accompanied by an increase of 16.7 % in the average forest area and 40 % in the length of forested land boundaries. With an average increase in the number of forest areas in the region of almost 17 %, in some sites there was a decrease in their number due to the unification of forest areas in the process of their expansion and the advancement of boundaries. In most sites in the mid-1980s, the forest cover of the landscapes did not exceed 10 %, but during the study period, the share of those with forest cover from 10 to 30 % increased significantly. The increase in forest cover has led to a decrease in the variability of the spectral reflectance of the territories where forests have formed. A decrease in the coefficient of variation of reflectance was found in the visible, near and short-wave infrared ranges.
Keywords: forest area, forest cover, spectral reflectance, long-term changes, Landsat
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