Estimating Forest Canopy Cover by Multiscale Remote Sensing in Northeast Jiangxi, China

Xiaolan Huang, Weicheng Wu, Tingting Shen, Lifeng Xie, Yaozu Qin, Shanling Peng, Xiaoting Zhou, Xiao Fu, Jie Li, Zhenjiang Zhang, Ming Zhang, Yixuan Liu, Jingheng Jiang, Penghui Ou, Wenchao Huangfu and Yang Zhang
Additional contact information
Xiaolan Huang: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Weicheng Wu: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Tingting Shen: Faculty of Earth Sciences, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Lifeng Xie: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Yaozu Qin: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Shanling Peng: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Xiaoting Zhou: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Xiao Fu: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Jie Li: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Zhenjiang Zhang: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Ming Zhang: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Yixuan Liu: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Jingheng Jiang: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Penghui Ou: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Wenchao Huangfu: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Yang Zhang: Key Laboratory of Digital Lands and Resources, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: This research was focused on estimation of tree canopy cover (CC) by multiscale remote sensing in south China. The key aim is to establish the relationship between CC and woody NDVI (NDVI W ) or to build a CC-NDVI W model taking northeast Jiangxi as an example. Based on field CC measurements, this research used Google Earth as a complementary source to measure CC. In total, 63 sample plots of CC were created, among which 45 were applied for modeling and the remaining 18 were employed for verification. In order to ascertain the ratio R of NDVI W to the satellite observed NDVI, a 20-year time-series MODIS NDVI dataset was utilized for decomposition to obtain the NDVI W component, and then the ratio R was calculated with the equation R = (NDVI W /NDVI) *100%, respectively, for forest (CC > 60%), medium woodland (CC = 25–60%) and sparse woodland (CC 1–25%). Landsat TM and OLI images that had been orthorectified by the provider USGS were atmospherically corrected using the COST model and used to derive NDVI L . R was multiplied for the NDVI L image to extract the woody NDVI (NDVI WL ) from Landsat data for each of these plots. The 45 plots of CC data were linearly fitted to the NDVI WL , and a model with CC = 103.843 NDVI W + 6.157 (R 2 = 0.881) was obtained. This equation was applied to predict CC at the 18 verification plots and a good agreement was found (R 2 = 0.897). This validated CC-NDVI W model was further applied to the woody NDVI of forest, medium woodland and sparse woodland derived from Landsat data for regional CC estimation. An independent group of 24 measured plots was utilized for validation of the results, and an accuracy of 83.0% was obtained. Thence, the developed model has high predictivity and is suitable for large-scale estimation of CC using high-resolution data.

Keywords: canopy cover; NDVI W; time-series analysis; CC-NDVI W model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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