Assessment of Forest Parameters by Means of Remote Sensing for Protection Forests Planning and Controlling

Wien

2003

S. 83-92

2 Abb. 9 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200099725

The development of effective tools to evaluate relevant forest parameters is essential for the planning and monitoring of protection forests. Methodologies to assess the parameter percentage of tree cover, composition of stands and distribution of species, age and growth classes were developed by the Institute of Digital Image Processing of Joanneum Research in Graz, Austria, using data transmitted by the sensors on board the SPOT4 satellite. These data were classified to produce maps which show the spatial distribution of the principal forest types, i.e. spruce, larch and deciduous forests, percentage of canopy cover, clearings and natural age classes. The results are available in digital format and easy to import into the GIS systems of regional Forestry Commissions so that they can be used for the management of protection forests.