International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B8, 2012 
XXII ISPRS Congress, 25 August — 01 September 2012, Melbourne, Australia 
  
Components Results of the Study 
Of the Study 
  
1. Deforestation and | -Landuse/cover maps of 1993, 2000, and 2007 
forest degradation | (Sub-national, LPB province, Khamkeut district, 
analyses using BLK province by LANDSAT and SPOT) 
remote sensing -Land use/cover maps of 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 
technology and 2007 (Pakxen district, LPB) 
-Land use/cover map (JICA PAREDD project 
area, Phongxai district, ALOS/AVNIR2) 
-Forest/Non-forest cover maps of Lao PDR 
(National level, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 by 
MODIS) 
-Forest degradation map (Khamkeut district, BLK) 
-Tree height measurement (LPB) and Khamkeut 
district ( BLK ) by ALOS/PRISM 
-Accuracy verification of various maps 
-Ray (slash-and-burnt cultivation field) analysis 
-Biomass classification map (LPB,BLK by 
LANDSAT, ALOS/AVNIR2) 
-UAV aerial photography and analysis of digital 
canopy model 
  
2. Forest GIS database | -Base map from ALOS/PRISM images 
-DEM/DSM(SRTM, GDEM, ALOS/PRISM) 
-Orthoimage(ALOS/PRISM) 
-Forest compartment map 
-Forest management parcel 
-Maps prepared by remote sensing analyses 
-Updating methodology of forest GIS database 
-MRV system design and analysis 
  
3. Forest carbon stock | -Tier 1 estimation of forest carbon stock (LPB) 
estimation -Tier 2 estimation (LPB, BLK) 
-Tier 3 estimation (Test areas) 
-Carbon stock estimation model based on tree 
height 
-Wall-to-wall carbon stock estimation based on 
biomass classes 
  
4. Deforestat-ion trend | -Analysis of driving factors of deforestation and 
analysis and future | forest degradation 
forecasting simulation | -Village surveys (Socio-economic surveys) 
analysis -Reference scenario analyses 
-Simulation analyses of future forest cover changes 
using the Marcov-Cellular Automata model 
(Village, district, provincial, and national levels) 
  
5.Technologytransfers | -Technical trainings -On-the-job trainings 
-Workshops and seminars -Training in Japan 
  
  
  
  
Table 1 Outline and outcomes of the Study 
2. PILOTSTUDYAREAS 
Study activities were implemented upon configuring two pilot study 
areas, namely entire Louangphabang (LPB) province and Khamkeut 
district in Bolikhamxai (BLK) province ( Figure 1). LPB province is 
experiencing extreme deforestation and forest degradation as a result of 
extensive human activities such as slash and burnt shifting cultivation. 
   
      
    
    
  
   
   
    
     
   
     
    
  
    
  
  
Study Areas Characteristics 
LPB province Area: 20,000 km? 
Altitude: 200-2,300m 
[eser | Pakeng district | Area:  1,600km' | 
Penis. || (LPB) 10x10km test area 
  
      
  
  
  
Pongxai district | JICAPAREDD 
(LPB) project site 
ime | Khamkeut district | Area: 4,400 km* 
(BLK) Altitude:400-2,000 m 
10x10km test area 
  
  
Drivers: Populatiom increase, slash and 
burnt shifting cultivation, natural forest, 
pasturage, dams, mines, legal/illegal 
loggings, etc. 
  
  
  
Figure 1. Locations and characteristics of the pilot study areas in 
Louangphabang (LPB) and Bolikhmxai(BLK) provinces in Lao PDR 
Khamkeut district (BLK) contains abundant forest resources including 
natural forests, and human activities here include paddies, slash and 
burnt cultivation, pasturage, dams and mines. There is a risk that the 
district suffers from deforestation and forest degradation, both legal and 
illegal. 
3. FORESTMONITORING SYSTEM UTILIZING REMOTE 
SENSING 
3.1 Land Use/Cover Mapping for Forest Monitoring 
3.1.1 Satellite Images Used for Sub-national Level: Multitemporal 
land use/cover maps provide the basis for (1) analysing deforestation 
and forest degradation, (2)estimating wall-to-wall forest carbon stocks, 
(3)obtaining base data for simulation analysis of future deforestation, 
and (4)setting the reference level of REDD+ credit, etc. 
Medium resolution satellite images (LANDSAT and SPOT) obtained 
from 1990 to 2010 were selected to prepare land use/cover maps for 
sub-national level (provincial level) monitoring of forest through 
combining digital image processing with visual interpretation and field 
survey. In selecting the images, search was conducted during the 
period immediately after the rainy season (October-December) before 
the start of defoliation and slash and bumt when the impact of moisture 
vapour and smoke in the atmosphere is small in the pilot study areas, 
and images from the same period were selected to reduce the 
occurrence of classification error arising from different timing of 
images for conducting multitemporal comparisons. However, in cases 
where images from the period in question were not available, the most 
recent images were selected. As the results, many multi-dated images 
were subjected to various image analyses and interpretations. 
3.1.2 Land Use/Cover Categories for Forest Monitoring: In the 
survey of deforestation, forest degradation, forest carbon stock, etc. 
necessary for REDD+, first the approach that entails grasping forest 
state based on survey of land use/cover and monitoring of changes is 
  
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