ul 2004 
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Dias, B. 
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FOREST CANOPY DENSITY MONITORING, USING SATELLITE IMAGES 
M. Saei jamalabad * *, A.A. Abkar° 
* Islamic Azad University Teacher , Shahr-E-Ray Azad University , Tehran, Iran — 
b_saeijamal@yahoo.com 
"^ SCWMRI, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, P.D. Box 13445-1136, Tehran, Iran - 
abkar@alumni.itc.nl 
KEY WORDS: Remote Sensing, Forestry, Change Detection, Landsat, Multispectral, Thermal 
ABSTRACT: 
The increasing use of satellite Remote Sensing for civilian use has proved to be the most cost effective means of mapping and 
monitoring environmental changes in terms of vegetation and non-renewable resources, especially in developing countries. Data can 
be obtained as frequently as required to provide information for determination of quantitative and qualitative changes in terrain. 
Forests as one part of the wild life of the human societies have a special place in economic development and stability of water and 
soil in the countries of the world. But because of various reasons such as development of population, increasingly changing forest to 
the other unsuitable applications such as: agriculture, providing energy and fuel, million of hectares from this natural resource are 
destroyed every year and the remainder of the surfaces change quantitatively and qualitatively. For better management of the forests, 
the change of forest area and rate of forest density should be investigated. It is possible that there isn't any change in the area of 
forest during the time but the density of forest canopy is changed. Therefore, in this research the method of Forest Canopy Density 
(FCD) monitoring that have been developed by other researcher is tested in an area, which is located in the north of Iran. This model 
calculates forest density using the four indexes of soil, shadow, thermal and vegetation. For this, the LANDSAT TM & ETM* 
images from different dates are used. At first, the forest density map was prepared by using Biophysical Spectral Response 
Modelling for two images. Overall accuracy 83% and kappa coefficient 0.78 for ETM+ 2002 image was achieved. Then, the 
changing of the area and forest density during these periods was distinguished. 
Aerial photo interpretation method requires practice of 
1. INTRODUCTION studying aerial photographs under stereoscope and it is 
highly subjective. 
Satellite Remote sensing play a crucial role in determining, 
enhancing and monitoring the overall carrying capacity. The Satellite based methods are conventional remote sensing 
repetitive satellite remote sensing over various spatial and method and biophysical response modelling. Different 
temporal scales offers. the most economic means of conventional remote sensing method such as slicing, image 
assessing the environmental parameters and impact of the arithmetic segmentation and multispectral image 
developmental processes. The anthropogenic intervention in classification are prepared by different authors. One of the 
the natural forest reduces the number of trees per unit area most complete of these methods is classification. 
and canopy closure. Satellite remote sensing has played a Classification is based on qualitative analysis of information 
pivotal role in generating information about forest cover, derived from “training areas” (i.e ground truthing or 
vegetation type and  landuse changes. For better verification). This has certain disadvantages in terms of time 
management of forest, changes of density should be and cost requirements for training area establishment. Also 
considered. Forest canopy density is one of the most useful the similarity between spectral response of soil and low- 
parameters to consider in the planning and implementation density forest (in which background reflectance is so high), 
of rehabilitation program. Conventional methods for forest causes that spectral training data of classes to be overlapped 
density estimation are: with each other. Therefore, overall accuracy will be 
reduced. 
1) Measurement with instruments (ground survey). 
In response to these problems, International Tropical Timber 
2) Aerial photo and satellite image interpretation Organization (ITTO) developed a new methodology. In this 
new methodology, forest status is assessed on the basis of its 
3) Satellite based method canopy density. The methodologies called the Forest 
Canopy Density Mapping Model or in short the FCD model. 
In this investigation forest density map has been prepared 
for two different dates by FCD modelling and changes in 
forest density in different areas have been estimated. 
Some of the disadvantages of measurement with instruments 
are time consuming and difficult to complete the revision in 
scheduled time. As a result, most of the stock maps do not 
reflect current status of forest. 
  
* (ar : 
Corresponding author. 
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