Monitoring urban forest canopy cover using satellite imagery

1993 ◽  
Vol 26-26 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 175-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Paul Newman
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover

scholarly journals Detecting Long-Term Urban Forest Cover Change and Impacts of Natural Disasters Using High-Resolution Aerial Images and LiDAR Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1820
Author(s):  
Raoul Blackman ◽  
Fei Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Random Point ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Lidar Data

Urban forests provide ecosystem services; tree canopy cover is the basic quantification of ecosystem services. Ground assessment of the urban forest is limited; with continued refinement, remote sensing can become an essential tool for analyzing the urban forest. This study addresses three research questions that are essential for urban forest management using remote sensing: (1) Can object-based image analysis (OBIA) and non-image classification methods (such as random point-based evaluation) accurately determine urban canopy coverage using high-spatial-resolution aerial images? (2) Is it possible to assess the impact of natural disturbances in addition to other factors (such as urban development) on urban canopy changes in the classification map created by OBIA? (3) How can we use Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and technology to extract urban canopy metrics accurately and effectively? The urban forest canopy area and location within the City of St Peter, Minnesota (MN) boundary between 1938 and 2019 were defined using both OBIA and random-point-based methods with high-spatial-resolution aerial images. Impacts of natural disasters, such as the 1998 tornado and tree diseases, on the urban canopy cover area, were examined. Finally, LiDAR data was used to determine the height, density, crown area, diameter, and volume of the urban forest canopy. Both OBIA and random-point methods gave accurate results of canopy coverages. The OBIA is relatively more time-consuming and requires specialist knowledge, whereas the random-point-based method only shows the total coverage of the classes without locational information. Canopy change caused by tornado was discernible in the canopy OBIA-based classification maps while the change due to diseases was undetectable. To accurately exact urban canopy metrics besides tree locations, dense LiDAR point cloud data collected at the leaf-on season as well as algorithms or software developed specifically for urban forest analysis using LiDAR data are needed.

scholarly journals ASSESSING URBAN FOREST CANOPY COVER IN GREAT PLAIN CONSERVATION AREA (DÜZCE CITY, TURKEY) BETWEEN 1984 AND 2015

2021 ◽  
Vol XLVI-4/W5-2021 ◽  
pp. 539-544
Author(s):  
Z. Uçar ◽  
R. Eker ◽  
A. Aydin
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Urban Tree ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Urban Tree Canopy

Abstract. Urban trees and forests are essential components of the urban environment. They can provide numerous ecosystem services and goods, including but not limited to recreational opportunities and aesthetic values, removal of air pollutants, improving air and water quality, providing shade and cooling effect, reducing energy use, and storage of atmospheric CO2. However, urban trees and forests have been in danger of being lost by dense housing resulting from population growth in the cities since the 1950s, leading to increased local temperature, pollution level, and flooding risk. Thus, determining the status of urban trees and forests is necessary for comprehensive understanding and quantifying the ecosystem services and goods. Tree canopy cover is a relatively quick, easy to obtain, and cost-effective urban forestry metric broadly used to estimate ecosystem services and goods of the urban forest. This study aimed to determine urban forest canopy cover areas and monitor the changes between 1984–2015 for the Great Plain Conservation area (GPCA) that has been declared as a conservation Area (GPCA) in 2017, located on the border of Düzce City (Western Black Sea Region of Turkey). Although GPCA is a conservation area for agricultural purposes, it consists of the city center with 250,000 population and most settlement areas. A random point sampling approach, the most common sampling approach, was applied to estimate urban tree canopy cover and their changes over time from historical aerial imageries. Tree canopy cover ranged from 16.0% to 27.4% within the study period. The changes in urban canopy cover between 1984–1999 and 1999–2015 were statistically significant, while there was no statistical difference compared to the changes in tree canopy cover between 1984–2015. The result of the study suggested that an accurate estimate of urban tree canopy cover and monitoring long-term canopy cover changes are essential to determine the current situation and the trends for the future. It will help city planners and policymakers in decision-making processes for the future of urban areas.

scholarly journals Assessing Urban Forest Canopy Cover Using Airborne or Satellite Imagery

2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 334-340
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Walton ◽  
David Nowak ◽  
Eric Greenfield
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
New York ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Classification Methods ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
Forest Managers

With the availability of many sources of imagery and various digital classification techniques, assessing urban forest canopy cover is readily accessible to most urban forest managers. Understanding the capability and limitations of various types of imagery and classification methods is essential to interpreting canopy cover values. An overview of several remote sensing techniques used to assess urban forest canopy cover is presented. A case study comparing canopy cover percentages for Syracuse, New York, U.S. interprets the multiple values developed using different methods. Most methods produce relatively similar results, but the estimate based on the National Land Cover Database is much lower.

Connecting Forestry Learning Objectives to Urban Forest Types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Coupland ◽  
Juliana Magalhães ◽  
Verena C Griess
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Individual Tree

Abstract Applied educational opportunities in forestry undergraduate curricula are essential for a complete postsecondary degree program. Walking distance to local urban forests present a way to teach forestry students in applied settings, while reducing the time, cost, and travel logistics. A case study at a Canadian university (University of British Columbia) was used to connect urban forest canopy cover to forestry learning objectives and walking time to the main teaching building. Individual tree canopies were identified with light detection and ranging data and aggregated to 0.05 ha grid sections. Using canopy cover and forest arrangement, the urban forest was classified into closed, open, small, sparse, or non- forest classifications. Forestry learning objectives were matched with each forest classification in conjunction with walkability to identify critical local location for forestry education. Results identified key areas suitable for teaching forestry and for linking forestry educational values with easily accessible high value locations. Study Implications: Applied educational opportunities for undergraduate forestry students are critical for ensuring hands-on, real world experiences and essential in postsecondary forestry degrees. Local urban forests present an opportunity to allow students access to these experiences regularly. Connecting forestry learning objectives with local urban forest types allowed for the identification of key, high-value learning locations. The information and methodology from this research provide insight into explicitly classifying areas for forestry educational purposes with the goal of promoting outdoor applied educational opportunities for forestry undergraduate students.

Green Urban Political Ecologies: Toward a Better Understanding of Inner-City Environmental Change

2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nik Heynen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Political Ecology ◽  
The Usa

This research uses a Marxist urban political ecology framework to link processes of urban environmental metabolization explicitly to the consumption fund of the built environment. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I argue in this paper that Marxist notions of metabolism are ideal for investigating urban environmental change and the production of uneven urban environments. In so doing, I argue that despite the embeddedness of Harvey's circuits of capital within urban political economy, these connected notions still have a great deal to offer regarding better understanding relations between consumption and metabolization of urban environments. From this theoretical perspective, I investigate urban socionatural metabolization as a function of the broader socioeconomic processes related to urban restructuring within the USA between 1962 and 1993 in the Indianapolis inner-city urban forest. The research examines the relations between changes in household income and changes in urban forest canopy cover. The results of the research indicate that there was a significant decline over time in the Indianapolis urban forest canopy and that median household was related to these changes, thus demonstrating a concrete example of urban environmental metabolization.

scholarly journals The Eye of the Storm: Extreme Weather Events and Sustainable Urban Forest Management

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra Marshman
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Ice Storms ◽  
Weather Events

More people live in cities today than ever before. One indicator of a sustainable urban environment is a full canopy cover. Urban residents value trees for the benefits of improved air quality, provision of shade, and aesthetic purposes, among others. Although urban trees are greatly valued, they are up against environmental challenges. Global climate change threatens urban forests because of the accompanying increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Hurricanes, intense precipitation, windstorms, and ice storms, are included. In Halifax (2003) Hurricane Juan negatively affected the urban forest canopy and some areas have not fully recovered. Similarly, in Vancouver’s Stanley Park (2006 & 2007) an extreme windstorm hit the urban canopy. How can urban forest planners adapt the urban forest to become more resilient in the face of such events?

A comparison of two sampling approaches for assessing the urban forest canopy cover from aerial photography

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 221-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zennure Ucar ◽  
Pete Bettinger ◽  
Krista Merry ◽  
Jacek Siry ◽  
J.M. Bowker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerial Photography ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover

scholarly journals Gainesville's Urban Forest Canopy Cover

EDIS ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Escobedo ◽  
Jennifer A. Seitz ◽  
Wayne Zipperer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Urban Tree ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Urban Tree Cover ◽  
Tree Composition ◽  
Over Time

FOR-215, a 3-page illustrated fact sheet by Francisco Escobedo, Jennifer A. Seitz, and Wayne Zipperer, examines how tree cover changes over time, how tree composition and location influence urban forest canopy and leaf area, and how tree and ground surface covers vary across Gainesville. Includes references. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, March 2009.   FOR 215/FR277: Gainesville Florida's Urban Tree Cover (ufl.edu)  

scholarly journals Criteria and Indicators for Strategic Urban Forest Planning and Management

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
W. Andy Kenney ◽  
Philip van Wassenaer ◽  
Alexander Satel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Criteria And Indicators ◽  
Forest Planning And Management ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Urban Forest Management

The success of urban forest management is frequently predicated upon achieving absolute canopy cover targets. This two-dimensional view of the urban forest does not provide a comprehensive assessment of urban forest stewardship in a community and does not account for an area’s potential to support a forest canopy. A comprehensive set of performance-based criteria and indicators concerning the community’s vegetation resource, community framework and resource management approach is described. This set of broadly based measures provides a more useful tool for the evaluation of urban forest management success and strategic management planning.

scholarly journals Monitoring Mediterranean Oak Decline in a Peri-Urban Protected Area Using the NDVI and Sentinel-2 Images: The Case Study of Castelporziano State Natural Reserve

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Recanatesi ◽  
Chiara Giuliani ◽  
Maria Ripa
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Sentinel 2

Climate change and human activities in particular are important causes of the possible variations in Mediterranean basin forest health conditions. Over the last decades, deciduous oak-forest mortality has been a recurrent problem in central and southern Italy. Despite the perception of increasingly visible damage in oak forests in drought sites, the role of various environmental factors in their decline is not completely clear. Among the modern methods of monitoring terrestrial ecosystems, remote sensing is of prime importance thanks to its ability to provide synoptic information on large areas with a high frequency of acquisition. This paper reports the preliminary results regarding a replicable and low cost monitoring tool planned to quantify forest health conditions based on the application of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), using the diachronic images provided by the Sentinel-2 satellite. The study area is represented by a peri-urban forest of natural Mediterranean deciduous oaks, characterized by a high variability in the composition of the species and in the silvicultural structures. In order to monitor the health conditions of a specific forest canopy cover with remote sensing data, it is necessary to classify the forest canopy cover in advance to separate it from other species and from the Mediterranean scrub. This is due to the spatial distribution of vegetation and the high rate of biodiversity in the Mediterranean natural environment. To achieve this, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, forest management data and field sampling data were analyzed. The main results of this research show a widespread decline in oak health conditions over the observed period (2015–2017). Specifically, for the studied area, thanks to the specific localization of the oak canopy cover, we detected a high potential concerning the Sentinel-2 data application in monitoring forest health conditions by NDVI application.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document