scholarly journals Potential of Sentinel-1 C-Band Time Series to Derive Structural Parameters of Temperate Deciduous Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Moritz Bruggisser ◽  
Wouter Dorigo ◽  
Alena Dostálová ◽  
Markus Hollaus ◽  
Claudio Navacchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Fractional Cover ◽  
Forest Height ◽  
Temperate Deciduous ◽  
Stand Height

With the increasing occurrence of forest fires in the mid-latitudes and the alpine region, fire risk assessments become important in these regions. Fuel assessments involve the collection of information on forest structure as, e.g., the stand height or the stand density. The potential of airborne laser scanning (ALS) to provide accurate forest structure information has been demonstrated in several studies. Yet, flight acquisitions at the state level are carried out in intervals of typically five to ten years in Central Europe, which often makes the information outdated. The Sentinel-1 (S-1) synthetic aperture radar mission provides freely accessible earth observation (EO) data with short revisit times of 6 days. Forest structure information derived from this data source could, therefore, be used to update the respective ALS descriptors. In our study, we investigated the potential of S-1 time series to derive stand height and fractional cover, which is a measure of the stand density, over a temperate deciduous forest in Austria. A random forest (RF) model was used for this task, which was trained using ALS-derived forest structure parameters from 2018. The comparison of the estimated mean stand height from S-1 time series with the ALS derived stand height shows a root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.76 m and a bias of 0.09 m on a 100 m cell size, while fractional cover can be retrieved with an RMSE of 0.08 and a bias of 0.0. However, the predictions reveal a tendency to underestimate stand height and fractional cover for high-growing stands and dense areas, respectively. The stratified selection of the training set, which we investigated in order to achieve a more homogeneous distribution of the metrics for training, mitigates the underestimation tendency to some degree, yet, cannot fully eliminate it. We subsequently applied the trained model to S-1 time series of 2017 and 2019, respectively. The computed difference between the predictions suggests that large decreases in the forest height structure in this two-year interval become apparent from our RF-model, while inter-annual forest growth cannot be measured. The spatial patterns of the predicted forest height, however, are similar for both years (Pearson’s R = 0.89). Therefore, we consider that S-1 time series in combination with machine learning techniques can be applied for the derivation of forest structure information in an operational way.

Derivating forest structure from Sentinel-1 time series to assist forest fire risk assessments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Bruggisser ◽  
Wouter Dorigo ◽  
Alena Dostálová ◽  
Markus Hollaus ◽  
Claudio Navacchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Fractional Cover ◽  
Stand Height ◽  
Structure Metrics ◽  
Forest Fire Risk

<p>The assessment of forest fire risk has recently gained interest in countries of Central Europe and the alpine region since the occurrence of forest fires is expected to increase with a changing climate. Information on forest fuel structure, which is related to forest structure, is a key component in such assessments. Forest structure information can be derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, whose value for the derivation of respective metrics at a high accuracy level has been demonstrated in numerous studies over the last years.</p><p>Yet, the temporal resolution of ALS data is low as flight missions are typically carried out in time intervals of five to ten years in Central Europe. ALS-derived forest structure descriptors for fire risk assessments, therefore, are often outdated. Open access earth observation data offer the potential to fill these information gaps. Data provided by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors, in particular, are of interest in this context since this technology has a known sensitivity to the vegetation structure and acquires data independent of weather or daylight conditions.</p><p>In our study, we investigate the potential to derive forest structure descriptors from time series of Sentinel-1 (S-1) SAR data for a deciduous forest site in the Eastern part of Austria. We focus on forest stand height and fractional cover, which is a measure for forest density, as both of these components impact forest fire propagation and ignition. The two structure metrics are estimated using a random forest (RF) model, which takes a total of 36 predictors as input, which we compute from the S-1 time series. The model is trained using ALS-derived structure metrics acquired during the same year as the S-1 data.</p><p>We estimated stand height with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.76 m and a bias of 0.09 m at 100 m resolution, while the RMSE for the fractional cover estimation is 0.08 with a bias of zero at the same resolution. The spatial comparison of the structure predictions with the ALS reference further shows that the general structure is well reproduced. Yet, fine scale variations cannot be completely reproduced by the S1-derived structure products, and the height of tall stands and very dense canopy parts are underestimated. Due to the high correlation of the predicted values to the reference (Pearson’s R of 0.88 and 0.94 for the stand height and the fractional cover, respectively), we consider S-1 time series in combination with ALS data with low temporal resolution and machine learning techniques to be a reliable data source and workflow for regularly (e.g. < yearly) updating ALS structure information in an operational way.</p>

scholarly journals STABILIZATION OF SENTINEL-1 SAR TIME-SERIES USING CLIMATE AND FOREST STRUCTURE DATA FOR EARLY TROPICAL DEFORESTATION DETECTION

2020 ◽  
Vol V-3-2020 ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
J. Doblas ◽  
A. Carneiro ◽  
Y. Shimabukuro ◽  
S. Sant’Anna ◽  
L. Aragão ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Detection Algorithms ◽  
Alternative State ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Omission Errors

Abstract. In this study we analyse the factors of variability of Sentinel-1 C-band radar backscattering over tropical rainforests, and propose a method to reduce the effects of this variability on deforestation detection algorithms. To do so, we developed a random forest regression model that relates Sentinel-1 gamma nought values with local climatological data and forest structure information. The model was trained using long time-series of 26 relevant variables, sampled over 6 undisturbed tropical forests areas. The resulting model explained 71.64% and 73.28% of the SAR signal variability for VV and VH polarizations, respectively. Once the best model for every polarization was selected, it was used to stabilize extracted pixel-level data of forested and non-deforested areas, which resulted on a 10 to 14% reduction of time-series variability, in terms of standard deviation. Then a statistically robust deforestation detection algorithm was applied to the stabilized time-series. The results show that the proposed method reduced the rate of false positives on both polarizations, especially on VV (from 21% to 2%, α=0.01). Meanwhile, the omission errors increased on both polarizations (from 27% to 37% in VV and from 27% to 33% on VV, α=0.01). The proposed method yielded slightly better results when compared with an alternative state-of-the-art approach (spatial normalization).

scholarly journals TomoSAR Mapping of 3D Forest Structure: Contributions of L-Band Configurations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2255
Author(s):  
Matteo Pardini ◽  
Victor Cazcarra-Bes ◽  
Konstantinos Papathanassiou
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Structure Mapping ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
L Band ◽  
Structure Indices

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) measurements are unique for mapping forest 3D structure and its changes in time. Tomographic SAR (TomoSAR) configurations exploit this potential by reconstructing the 3D radar reflectivity. The frequency of the SAR measurements is one of the main parameters determining the information content of the reconstructed reflectivity in terms of penetration and sensitivity to the individual vegetation elements. This paper attempts to review and characterize the structural information content of L-band TomoSAR reflectivity reconstructions, and their potential to forest structure mapping. First, the challenges in the accurate TomoSAR reflectivity reconstruction of volume scatterers (which are expected to dominate at L-band) and to extract physical structure information from the reconstructed reflectivity is addressed. Then, the L-band penetration capability is directly evaluated by means of the estimation performance of the sub-canopy ground topography. The information content of the reconstructed reflectivity is then evaluated in terms of complementary structure indices. Finally, the dependency of the TomoSAR reconstruction and of its structural information to both the TomoSAR acquisition geometry and the temporal change of the reflectivity that may occur in the time between the TomoSAR measurements in repeat-pass or bistatic configurations is evaluated. The analysis is supported by experimental results obtained by processing airborne acquisitions performed over temperate forest sites close to the city of Traunstein in the south of Germany.

Changes in structure and cover of a common property pine forest in Guatemala, 1954–1996

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
CURTIS D. HOLDER
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Common Property ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Municipal Government ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Communal Property

Concern about increasing rates of deforestation of tropical forests has resulted in investigations into the viability of local land-use practices and communal forms of governance. The majority of people in Guatemala live in regions where primary forests are absent. Several secondary forests in the highly populated highlands of Guatemala are communally managed forests, and people depend on forest products from these secondary forests for their livelihood. This study examines changes in forest structure and coverage of a native Pinus oocarpa Schiede communally managed forest in San Jose La Arada, Chiquimula in eastern Guatemala from 1954–1996. The pine forest is a municipal-communal property. The municipality has title to the land, however the forests are communal property. Neither forest committees in the villages nor municipal government regulations establish communal management of the pine forest; instead there are customary rules in the villages that guide forest extraction. People from the surrounding villages extract fuelwood, ocote (resin-rich wood harvested from the tree trunk and used for kindling) and timber from the pine forest. The P. oocarpa forest is situated in a seasonally dry region with nutrient-poor and highly eroded soils. Aerial photographs from 1954 and 1987 were compared to estimated changes in forest cover. Changes in forest structure are based on data collected from stand inventories conducted in 1987 and 1996. The pine forest was reduced in area by 14.4%, from 12.39 km2 in 1954 to 10.61 km2 in 1987. Additionally, stand density and basal area were reduced by 12% and 41%, respectively, from 1987–1996. Fuelwood and timber for domestic use were not extracted at a sustainable rate between 1954 and 1996 from the communally managed pine forest in this study. A sustainable-use management plan, in which all villages surrounding the forest participate, is recommended to provide future forest products for the villages.

Ontario's forest growth and yield modelling program: Advances resulting from the Forestry Research Partnership

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 694-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahadev Sharma ◽  
John Parton ◽  
Murray Woods ◽  
Peter Newton ◽  
Margaret Penner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Forestry Research ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Forest Growth And Yield

The province of Ontario holds approximately 70.2 million hectares of forests: about 17% of Canada’s and 2% of the world’s forests. Approximately 21 million hectares are managed as commercial forests, with an annual harvest in the early part of the decade approaching 200 000 ha. Yield tables developed by Walter Plonski in the 1950s provide the basis for most wood supply calculations and growth projections in Ontario. However, due to changes in legislation, policy, and the planning process, they no longer fully meet the needs of resource managers. Furthermore, Plonski`s tables are not appropriate for the range of silvicultural options now practised in Ontario. In October 1999, the Canadian Ecology Centre- Forestry Research Partnership (CEC-FRP) was formed and initiated a series of projects that collectively aimed at characterizing, quantifying and ultimately increasing the economically available wood supply. Comprehensive, defensible, and reliable forecasts of forest growth and yield were identified as key knowledge gaps. The CEC-FRP, with support from the broader science community and forest industry, initiated several new research activities to address these needs, the results of which are outlined briefly in this paper. We describe new stand level models (e.g., benchmark yield curves, FVS Ontario, stand density management diagrams) that were developed using data collected from permanent sample plots and permanent growth plots established and remeasured during the past 5 decades. Similarly, we discuss new height–diameter equations developed for 8 major commercial tree species that specifically account for stand density. As well, we introduce a CEC-FRP-supported project aimed at developing new taper equations for plantation grown jack pine and black spruce trees established at varying densities. Furthermore, we provide an overview of various projects undertaken to explore measures of site productivity. Available growth intercept and site index equations are being evaluated and new equations are being developed for major commercial tree species as needed. We illustrate how these efforts are advancing Ontario’s growth and yield program and supporting the CEC-FRP in achieving its objective of increasing the supply of fibre by 10% in 10 years while maintaining forest sustainability. Key words: permanent sample plots (PSPs), permanent growth plots (PGPs), normal yield tables, sustainable forest management, NEBIE plot network, forest inventory, Forest Vegetation Simulator

scholarly journals Algorithm for preprocessing and unification of time series based on machine learning for data structuring

2020 ◽  
pp. 40-50
Author(s):  
Andrey Sergeevich Kopyrin ◽  
Irina Leonidovna Makarova
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Fuzzy Time Series ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Primary Documents ◽  
Preliminary Preparation ◽  
Single Data ◽  
Different Sources

The subject of the research is the process of collecting and preliminary preparation of data from heterogeneous sources. Economic information is heterogeneous and semi-structured or unstructured in nature. Due to the heterogeneity of the primary documents, as well as the human factor, the initial statistical data may contain a large amount of noise, as well as records, the automatic processing of which may be very difficult. This makes preprocessing dynamic input data an important precondition for discovering meaningful patterns and domain knowledge, and making the research topic relevant.Data preprocessing is a series of unique tasks that have led to the emergence of various algorithms and heuristic methods for solving preprocessing tasks such as merge and cleanup, identification of variablesIn this work, a preprocessing algorithm is formulated that allows you to bring together into a single database and structure information on time series from different sources. The key modification of the preprocessing method proposed by the authors is the technology of automated data integration.The technology proposed by the authors involves the combined use of methods for constructing a fuzzy time series and machine lexical comparison on the thesaurus network, as well as the use of a universal database built using the MIVAR concept.The preprocessing algorithm forms a single data model with the ability to transform the periodicity and semantics of the data set and integrate data that can come from various sources into a single information bank.

scholarly journals Post-disturbance recovery of forest cover and tree height differ with management in Central Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2837-2850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelius Senf ◽  
Jörg Müller ◽  
Rupert Seidl
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Central European ◽  
Stand Height ◽  
European Forest ◽  
Disturbance Recovery

Abstract Context Recovery from disturbances is a prominent measure of forest ecosystem resilience, with swift recovery indicating resilient systems. The forest ecosystems of Central Europe have recently been affected by unprecedented levels of natural disturbance, yet our understanding of their ability to recover from disturbances is still limited. Objectives We here integrated satellite and airborne Lidar data to (i) quantify multi-decadal post-disturbance recovery of two indicators of forest structure, and (ii) compare the recovery trajectories of forest structure among managed and un-managed forests. Methods We developed satellite-based models predicting Lidar-derived estimates of tree cover and stand height at 30 m grain across a 3100 km2 landscape in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem (Central Europe). We summarized the percentage of disturbed area that recovered to > 40% tree cover and > 5 m stand height and quantified the variability in both indicators over a 30-year period. The analyses were stratified by three management regimes (managed, protected, strictly protected) and two forest types (beech-dominated, spruce-dominated). Results We found that on average 84% of the disturbed area met our recovery threshold 30 years post-disturbance. The rate of recovery was slower in un-managed compared to managed forests. Variability in tree cover was more persistent over time in un-managed forests, while managed forests strongly converged after a few decades post-disturbance. Conclusion We conclude that current management facilitates the recovery of forest structure in Central European forest ecosystems. However, our results underline that forests recovered well from disturbances also in the absence of human intervention. Our analysis highlights the high resilience of Central European forest ecosystems to recent disturbances.

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