Use of Landsat satellite data for multitemporal analysis of Landes forest lumbering. (Nezer forest test site)

Abstract

The single species Landes forest, which is made up of fast growth maritime pine, is orientated towards intensive timber production. It covers an area of one million hectares (2,470,000 acres) of flat land. Every year, many thousands of acres of pines are cut down and replanted.A method which uses the repetitivity of Landsat data has been tested. Thus it will be possible to estimate the surface areas of clear-cut and sown land, to deduce plantation age classes, to establish statistical inventories and to compile dynamic mappings.