Forest Degradation Mapping Using Advanced Spatial …...© IORA Ecological Solutions Pvt. Ltd....

Swapan Mehra, CEO

IORA Ecological Solutions

Forest Degradation Mapping Using Advanced

Spatial Techniques

Atri Shaw

© IORA Ecological Solutions Pvt. Ltd. 2016-17

Standard Approaches

Delineate Forest Strata

• Forest type

• Degraded vs non-degraded

• Other biophysical, geographic, administrative attributes

Mean Biomass or (C) Value

• IPCC Tier 1 values – biome type and region

• National Tier 2 values (reports, general allometric equations)

• Tier 3 values from plot inventory data and local allometric equations)

“Paint-by-numbers” mapping

• Mean biomass or carbon value in units per hectare for each strata multiplied by area of each specific strata

• Map strata with mean value or total value as choropleth map


Forest Degradation Mapping using Fractional Cover Downscaling

• Fractional cover refers to estimating the proportion of an area that is covered by each member of a predefined set vegetation or land cover types. In our case we are interested in forest cover only.

• For mapping fractional cover, the proportions of the different classes should sum to one.

For Ex- 0.5 (Forestland)+0.3(Cropland)+0.2(Wetland)=1

• In terms of remote sensing, the area being considered is generally a pixel, the estimation of fractional cover is considered a type of "spectral un-mixing" or sub-pixel classification

fC= 80% fC= 50% fC= 35% fC= 15%

Satellite pixel

Forest Cover/Status

2001 2006 2009 2014

Forest Degradation


Modelling Approach

Different vegetation indexes like NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), Modified Soil-Adjusted

Vegetation Index (MSAVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) etc. are used for Fractional Cover development.

The expression of vegetation indexes shown below:-

NDVI =𝑁𝐼𝑅 −𝑅𝐸𝐷

𝑁𝐼𝑅+𝑅𝐸𝐷

MSAVI =2∗𝑁𝐼𝑅+1− 2∗𝑁𝐼𝑅+1 2−8∗(𝑁𝐼𝑅−𝑅𝐸𝐷)

2

All these indices use the ratio of red (R) and near infrared (IR) bands from a remotely-sensed (optical images) to

define a index of vegetation “greenness”.

Fractional cover is a continuous field value represent greenness of vegetation. But the applicability of fractional

cover in REDD projects to map forest degradation, required the stratification of forest cover(forest/non-forest)

and forest types by project proponent.

Where:

fC = green fractional percentage,

VI = vegetation index value,

VI canopy= vegetation index value of the tree green canopy, and

VI open = vegetation index value of senescent open areas.


Satellite to fC Development using Vegetation Indices

Masking of non forest areas using Forest Cover Map


Tier 2 Carbon Mapping Model


Forest carbon mapping relies on the association of fC mapping with forest biophysical attributes

such as forest canopy openness and biomass. Higher fC values are forest areas of higher biomass

(carbon) and lower fC values are forest areas with lower biomass (carbon).

Fractional Cover(fC)

data

Stratification data

Mean carbon stock values for

each strata/forest types

Mean carbon stock values in

homogenous forest

No Forest type stratification

Fractional Cover(fC)

data

National/State

Forest

Monitoring

Institution

Carbon Map


Thank You

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New Delhi – 110030Tel: +91-11-41077549 Fax: +91-11-41023126

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Forest Degradation Mapping Using Advanced Spatial …...© IORA Ecological Solutions Pvt. Ltd....

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