522 
volume determination by space photos do not 
exceed +1-5%, and mean square errors are 
within the range of +7-10%. The direction 
and location of cutovers, terms of their cut 
ting and contiguity, number of first cuttin 
gs in the quarter are determined by space 
photos practically correctly (Sukhikh, Apos 
tolov, Sinitsin et al.1979). 
The forest fund (forest raw materials ba 
ses) is allotted to logging enterprises. Du 
ring a long period of time they have to en 
sure the inexhaustive rational forest exploi 
tation. It can be reached only on condition 
of strictly fixed forest cutting by the vo 
lume and qualitative composition, barring of 
overcuts, and leaving the timber of low mar 
ketable structure (softwood, clearing tim 
ber, species damaged by diseases). However 
loggers proceeding from the present day si 
tuation make serious violations of the fo 
rest exploitation order. 
Space photographs (super-small-scale aeri 
al photos) make it possible to reveal all 
major violations in the forest exploitation 
order and to estimate their degree and con 
sequences. As a result of the analytical- 
measuring automatized in the interactive mo 
de interpretation of multitemporal space 
photos and the use of forest management ma 
terials data about the actual cutting volu 
me, species composition and productivity of 
both cut and reserved stands are obtained. 
These data allow to have a complete picture 
about the state of the development of the 
exploitational forest raw materials base 
fund, availability and qualitative composi- 
tipn of the remained forest raw materials 
resources. 
The use of large-scale aerial photography 
makes it possible to supplement the informa 
tion about the areas gone by cutting. On the 
basis of the analytical-measuring interpre 
tation of aerial photographs at scale 1:1000 
- 1:2000 the following information is obtai 
ned: data about the availability of the not 
removed timber (merchantable, fireplace tim 
ber), specified data about undercut volumes 
including those disturbed by cutting, volu 
mes of the cut timber outside the cut boun 
daries, safe keeping of the young growth and 
undergrowth, safe keeping of seed curtains 
(bands) and separate trees-seeds, volume of 
the reserved for the summer period unbarked 
coniferous merchantable timber, quality of 
the cut cleaning from felling wastes, the 
degree of the soil cover disturbance. 
The conducted investigations data show 
that the mean-root-square error of the tim 
ber volume determination (with different vi 
olations) by large-scale aerial photographs 
does not exceed +10%. These materials are 
used for revelation of violations in forest 
exploitation and for the imposition of fines 
on loggers. 
In regions of intensive clear cuttings re 
forestation measures are planned and carried 
out, and reforestation processes are asses 
sed. In modem conditions the estimate of 
the reforestation tendencies on the taiga 
zone cutovers located on large territories 
is possible on the basis of interpreting 
space photos of high resolution (not lower 
than 20m) and selective large-scale (1:1000 
- 1:2000) aerial photography. 
Space raultizonal (spectrozonal) photos al 
low to single out with high accuracy fresh 
cutovers and areas with the unsatisfactory 
regeneration (the probability of 0.83), and 
also areas with dominance in the regenerati 
on composition of deciduous species (the pro 
bability of 0.84). The dominance in the re 
generated mixed young growth of coniferous 
species is revealed worse because of the 
great height of deciduous trees (with the 
probaboloty of 0.64). 
Large-scale aerial photography helps to 
get more detailed data about the spatial di 
stribution and state of reforestation on 
cutovers. The preference is given to photo 
graphs obtained in spring, before blooming 
and grass development, as in this period co 
niferous species regeneration is revealed 
more reliably. By spectrozonal aerial photos 
the occurrence of coniferous species in co 
niferous-deciduous young growth is determi 
ned with the systematic error of +5-15% and 
the mean-root-square error of +10-20% (Zhi- 
rin & Sukhikh 1980). 
Space photos are successfully used in the 
assessment in the forest fund of the burned 
and windthrown areas, changes caused by con 
struction and forest drainage works, rock 
exploitation and other anthropogenic influ 
ences. The technical basis of the method is 
spectrozonal and multizonal photos obtained 
from 'Rosmos' AES and 'Saljut* LTOS with the 
ground resolution of 20-30m. Depending on 
the availability for the studied territory 
of forest inventory materials and space pho 
tos three variants of the work fulfilment 
are provided:the use of forest management 
materials and space photos, the use of mul- 
titemporal space ohotos, and the use of spa 
ce photos and aerial forest mensuration. 
As a result all main forest fund changes 
with the subdivision by types are plotted 
on the maps (with the probability of 0.8- 
0.9), the volume of the burned, damaged or 
cut timber and the degree of the damage in 
flicted on the forest fund are determined, 
measures on the reduction of harmful effects 
on forest are worked out (Zhirin & Orlova 
1985). 
Information from space allows not only to 
assess and map the forest fires consequences 
but also to reveal working forest fires, and 
to accomplish control over their dynamics. 
For this purpose information obtained from 
'Meteor' AES and transmitted by cosmonauts 
from board the 'Saljut' LTOS is used. The 
conducted experiments show that cosmonauts 
spot fires practically correctly. They re 
veal not only large but also small fires. 
44.47. of the spotted by cosmonauts forest 
fires had the area of less than 1 ha, 38.9% 
- from 1 to 10 ha, and 16.7% - more than 
10 ha. The fire edge showing the fire deve 
lopment direction is seen from space. Forest 
fire coordinates are determined with the ac 
curacy of several tens of km (Ljakhov, Po 
pov & Sukhikh 1984). 
In the USSR forest-steppe, steppe and de 
sert regions securing stands in order to 
prevent soil erosion, and protect agricul 
tural lands and pastures from unfavourable 
natural effects have been and are still be 
ing created. However the result from secu 
ring stands is achieved on condition of the 
ir optimal distribution on the territory 
and keeping them in the necessary qualita 
tive state. That is why information about 
the location of securing stands, their pa 
rameters and state, and data about the ero 
sion processes dynamics and untierosion mea 
sures on the adjacent agricultural lands 
mapping of securing stands should preferab 
ly be carried out on the basis of combina 
tion of highly informative space materials 
interpretation and selective large-scale 
aircraft photography with ground works.