Estimation of forest canopy density through Geospatial Technology-a case study on Sathyamangalam Forest, Erode District, Tamil Nadu.

Abstract

The term forest canopy density (FCD) refers to one of the important criteria used to evaluate forest's ecological health. It plays a significant role in assessing the health of the forest and serves as a key landmark for potential management actions. The canopy coverage or crown cover is referred to the percentage of the forest floor that is covered by the vertical projection of tree crowns and necessary for monitoring the condition of the forest. The present study aims to estimate the forest canopy density (FCD) through Geospatial Techniques for Sathyamangalam Forest for the period between 2016 and 2022 with SENTINEL 2A satellite data. The weighted overlay analysis method was implemented with biophysical parameters, namely, Normalize Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Advanced Vegetation Index (AVI), Shadow Index (SI), and Soil Bareness Index (SBI) to analyze the state of the forest and its activity. The results observed significantly that the forest canopy with 158.60 km2 in 2016 which is increased to 190.37 km2 in 2018 (1.14%) then suddenly decreased to 134.85 km2 in 2020 (2.47%). The forest canopy has recovered some of its original area with 168.83 km2 through better environmental conditions during 2021-2022 (1.52%). Therefore, Geospatial Technology plays a significant role in estimating recent changes in regional forest.