Estimating tree volume in tropical dry deciduous forest from landsat TM data

Abstract Mean whole tree volume was estimated from spectral variables derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data, in part of Hunsur forest division, Karnataka, India, comprising tropical dry deciduous forest using direct and indirect approaches. Mean crown diameter was considered to be the intermediate variable in the indirect approach. In the direct approach, the multiple regression equation developed to estimate mean whole tree volume consisted of radiance in TM band 7 and indices (R3 ‐ R1/R3 + Rl) and (R5 ‐ R4/R5 + R4), where R represents spectral radiance values. The mean whole tree volume estimated by both approaches were compared using mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean square deviation (MSD). It was observed that MAD and MSD were low and comparable for the direct approach and indirect approach. The present study indicates that it is possible to estimate the mean whole tree volume in dry deciduous forest using satellite sensor derived spectral variables.

[1]  K. Olsson.  Remote sensing for fuelwood resources and land degradation studies in Kordofan, the Sudan. , 1985 .

[2]  Steven W. Running,et al.  Remote sensing of temperate coniferous forest leaf area index The influence of canopy closure, understory vegetation and background reflectance , 1990 .

[3]  K. Ranson,et al.  Scene Shadow Effects on Multispectral Response , 1987, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[4]  M. Hodgson,et al.  REMOTE SENSING FOREST BIOMASS: AN EVALUATION USING HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSOR DATA AND LOBLOLLY PINE PLOTS , 1985 .

[5]  Jonas Ardö,et al.  Volume quantification of coniferous forest compartments using spectral radiance recorded by Landsat Thematic Mapper , 1992 .

[6]  Robin L. Graham,et al.  Estimating forest productivity with Thematic Mapper and biogeographical data , 1989 .

[7]  Robert B. Waide,et al.  Tropical forest biomass and successional age class relationships to a vegetation index derived from Landsat TM data , 1989 .

[8]  C. E. Leprieur,et al.  Influence of topography on forest reflectance using Landsat Thematic Mapper and Digital Terrain Data , 1988 .

[9]  B. Markham,et al.  Radiometric properties of U.S. processed Landsat MSS data , 1987 .

[10]  Dennis D. Baldocchi,et al.  Solar radiation within an oak—hickory forest: an evaluation of the extinction coefficients for several radiation components during fully-leafed and leafless periods , 1984 .

[11]  Robert N. Colwell,et al.  Manual of remote sensing , 1983 .

[12]  Estimating the mean canopy diameter of teak plantations from Landsat MSS data , 1992 .

[13]  W. Ripple,et al.  A preliminary comparison of Landsat Thematic Mapper and SPOT-1 HRV multispectral data for estimating coniferous forest volume , 1991 .

[14]  F. J. Ahern,et al.  A quantitative relationship between forest growth rates and Thematic Mapper reflectance measurements , 1991 .

[15]  V. K. Srivastava,et al.  Relationship between Landsat MSS data and forest tree parameters , 1989 .

[16]  John R. Dymond,et al.  Percentage vegetation cover of a degrading rangeland from SPOT , 1992 .

[17]  Janet Franklin,et al.  Estimating foliage and woody biomass in Sahelian and Sudanian woodlands using a remote sensing model , 1991 .

[18]  Stephen D. Prince,et al.  High temporal frequency remote sensing of primary production using NOAA AVHRR. , 1990 .

[19]  F. J. Ahern,et al.  Forestry information content of Thematic Mapper data , 1986 .

[20]  Christopher O. Justice,et al.  Monitoring the grasslands of the Sahel 1984-1985 , 1986 .

[21]  Janet Franklin,et al.  Thematic mapper analysis of coniferous forest structure and composition , 1986 .

[22]  Jerome K. Vanclay,et al.  Utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper data for mapping site productivity in tropical moist forests , 1990 .

[23]  S. Prince.  A model of regional primary production for use with coarse resolution satellite data , 1991 .

[24]  Remote Sensing of the Arid Zone Vegetation in the Visible Spectrum for Studying the Productivity , 1969 .