Remote Sensing for Sustainable Forest Management

424 pp  ISBN 1566703948      £68.00

• Explores how to choose remote sensing solutions to management problems and apply them to achieve sustainable forest management objectives and goals
• Addresses the 'I tried that once and it didn't work, so the whole thing is useless' syndrome
• Presents operational examples of forest change detection, forest defoliation monitoring, fire damage, forest classification, and forest growth modeling
• Draws a comprehensive picture of the state of the art in remote sensing data and methods applicable to sustainable forest management issues

The book presents methods and operational examples of forest change detection, forest defoliation monitoring, forest classification, and forest growth modeling. The concluding chapters discuss research issues and the future of remote sensing technologies. The author draws a comprehensive picture of the state of the art in remote sensing data and methods applicable to sustainable forest management issues.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the author addresses the 'I tried that once, didn't work, so the whole thing is useless' syndrome that has created institutional inertia in some management agencies. We now know the proper processing steps, the most efficient algorithms, what kinds of maps can be generated, and by whom, and what level of confidence managers can invest in the resulting products. We know under what conditions aerial remote sensing missions should be executed, what are the limits, and where investments in equipment and training should be made.

This authoritative book explores the remote sensing methods that need to be adopted and adapted to the forest science issues that are emerging through the sustainable forest management approach. This approach is not driven by technology, but by questions about its fundamental processes. Remote Sensing for Sustainable Forest Management shows you how this technology can be used to answer these questions and achieve the goals of sustainable forest management.

Contents

• Introduction
• Forest Management Questions
• Remote Sensing Data and Methods
• Categories of Applications of Remote Sensing
• Organization of the Book
• Sustainable Forest Management
• Definition of Sustainable Forest Management
• Ecosystem Management
• Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management
• Information Needs of Forest Managers
• Role of Remote Sensing
• Acquisition of Imagery
• Field, Aerial, and Satellite Imagery
• Data Characteristics
• Resolution and Scale
• Aerial Platforms and Sensors
• Satellite Platforms and Sensors
• General Limits of Airborne and Satellite Remote Sensing Data
• Image Calibration and Processing
• Georadiometric Effects and Spectral Response
• Image Processing Systems and Functionality
• Image Analysis Support Functions
• Image Information Extraction
• Image Understanding
• Forest Modeling and GIS
• Geographical Information Science
• Ecosystem Process Models
• Spatial Pattern Modeling
• Forest Classification
• Information on Forest Classes
• Classification Systems for Use with Remote Sensing Data
• Level I Classes
• Level II Classes
• Level III Classes
• Forest Structure Estimation
• Information on Forest Structure
• Forest Inventory Variables
• Biomass
• Volume and Growth Assessment
• Forest Change Detection
• Information on Forest Change
• Harvesting and Silviculture Activity
• Natural Disturbances
• Change in Spatial Structure
• Conclusion
• The Technological Approach - Revisited
• References