<title>Eucalyptus forest change classification using multi-date Landsat TM data</title>

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential for using multi-date Landsat TM for monitoring major changes in Eucalyptus forest plantations and other cover types. Landsat TM data obtained in 1989 and 1992 were used to assess changes in a forested study site in the Vale do Rio Doce, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Both Landsat TM data sets were normalized using the Backward Radiance Correction Transformation Model (BRCTM), geometrically corrected, registered, and resampled to a 30 meter grid prior to the analysis. The data sets were also put through a histogram equalization process, so that both data sets would have an equivalent range of digital number values. The spectral/temporal change classification technique was used in this study and the results were evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results indicated that the test polygon accuracy using the twelve band (raw data) data set was 90.6%, whereas the test polygon accuracy using six bands (PCA) was 90.4%, indicating that both provide a good potential for evaluating forest change.