Abstract
Land fragmentation and small plots are the main features of the rural environment of Galicia (NW Spain). Smallholding limits land use management, representing a drawback in local forest planning. This study analyzes the potential use of multitemporal Sentinel-2 images to detect and control forest cuts in very small pine and eucalyptus plots located in southern Galicia. The proposed approach is based on the analysis of Sentinel-2 NDVI time series in 4231 plots smaller than 3 ha (average 0.46 ha). The methodology allowed us to detect cuts, allocate cut dates and quantify plot areas due to different cutting cycles in an uneven-aged stand. An accuracy of approximately 95% was achieved when the whole plot was cut, with an 81% accuracy for partial cuts. The main difficulty in detecting and dating cuts was related to cloud cover, which affected the multitemporal analysis. In conclusion, the proposed methodology provides an accurate estimation of cutting date and area, helping to improve the monitoring system in sustainable forest certifications to ensure compliance with forest management plans.
Highlights
Taboada, Miro Govedarica and Forest ecosystems provide multiple ecological, economic and social benefits
Global forest cover has increased by 7% since the 1980s [9]; this increase is directly caused by the abandonment of agricultural land where it is difficult to mechanize processes to develop modern agriculture [10]
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was calculated for each forest parcel
Summary
Miro Govedarica and Forest ecosystems provide multiple ecological, economic and social benefits They harbor a portion of the world’s biodiversity, play a key role in regulating water flows, protect soils and contribute directly to national incomes and the local livelihoods of millions of people worldwide [1]. These ecosystems regulate key aspects of the global carbon cycle [2] and weather patterns via a number of different mechanisms, such as forest albedos [3], sensible heat and aerodynamic roughness [4,5].
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