Above-Ground Biomass Estimation for Urban Forest Management Using Remote Sensing

Abstract

The urban forest acts as excellent storage for carbon dioxide (CO2). Quantifying the above-ground biomass can be vital in understanding the role of urban forest in mitigating excessive carbon dioxide in the urban environment. This study aimed to quantify and compare the above-ground biomass changes that occur from 1995 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2015 in Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh, Perak using Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 images. The estimation of above-ground biomass was carried out using two methods, the development of a model equation using correlation analysis for the oil palm plantation inside the study area and an existing model equation that uses normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for the urban forest. The results obtained shows that the above-ground biomass content inside the study area has decreased by 6.60% in the first 10 years and decreased by another 33.78% in the second 10 years. These above-ground biomass changes show that there is a severe loss of carbon storage in the study area. Hence, the results can enable authorities to take action in managing the urban forest in order to maintain a stable climate and achieve low carbon city status.