Abstract
Methods for analyzing the resistance of large woodlands (such as Siberian taiga forests) to insect attacks based on remote sensing data are proposed. As an indicator of woodland’s resistance, we suggest a function of normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) susceptibility to changes in the land surface temperature (LST). Both NDVI and LST are obtained via the TERRA/AQUA satellite system. This indicator function was calculated as the spectral transfer function of the response in the integral equation connecting the changes in NDVI and LST. The analysis was carried out for two test sites, both of which are fir stands of the Krasnoyarsk region taiga zone. In the first case, the fir stands have suffered damage inflicted by Siberian silk moth caterpillars, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetv. since 2015. Adjacent intact fir forest areas were also analyzed. In the second case, the object of the study was a fir tree site damaged by Black Fir Sawyer Monochamus urussovii Fischer in 2013. It is demonstrated that the above-mentioned indicator function changed significantly 2–3 years prior to the pest population outbreaks, and therefore this indicator function can be used to assess the risk of pest population outbreak. Thereby, the proposed indicator compares favorably with vegetation cover estimates using NDVI, which register significant defoliation of tree stands and cannot be used for forecasting.
Highlights
Each area, which corresponds spatialfor resolution the
The susceptibility of a tree photosynthetic apparatus to changes in environmental temperature during the season can be described by an integral convolution equation and calculated using remote sensing data
This opens up the possibility of using such susceptibility indicators for any part of the planet covered with forest vegetation
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The control and monitoring of the forests’ health in boreal zones areextremely difficult due to the size and inaccessibility of these forest areas. The outbreaks of insect populations are one of the main factors in forest stand weakening. Significant economic and environmental losses during desiccation and destruction of forests make it extremely important to assess the current state and immunity of tree stands to insect attacks [1]. A short-term forecast for the upcoming years is no less important. Assessments based on visual signs (crown condition or trunk damage) work only at later stages, when it is almost impossible to manage the tree stand state
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