Solution of practically all outstanding issues of the forest sector (lease relations development, certification, old-growth forests conservation, illegal logging control etc.) requires the most urgent and impartial information about forests. At federal and regional levels efficient and high-resolution information on the condition of the country’s forests is required for forest usage monitoring and state forest inventory. In the past few years the system of continuous high and ultra high spatial resolution survey of forest cover from space has been created in Russia. Space imagery has become the most accessible and needed type of data about Russian forests. During 2008 alone forest inventory enterprises have been supplied with 22 000 high resolution satellite images. Detailed space imagery is used successfully by regional forest authorities and forestry departments, academic institutions, nature conservation organizations and private sector.
Cover story
Remote Sensing of Russian Forests: Concept and Practical Organization.By A.A. Maslov
A satellite-based monitoring system, using the technique of the whole Russian intensive forestry territory (more than 110 mln ha) complete coverage with high-resolution (6–10 m) images, was established in 2005-2008 in Russia. A range of spacecrafts providing direct access to high resolution data has extended from two to seven including SPOT 4/5 and IRS-P5/P6 in support of an efficient system of forest monitoring from space.
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Space Images for Forestry and Forest Management.By D.E. Aksenov and A.U. Yaroshenko
This article indicates some features of contemporary satellite imagery use for forest problems solution, tells about forming methodology of remote sensing data application, and suggests alternatives of space data usage for the most feasible solution of forest problems.
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Forestry Monitoring: High and Very High Resolution Space Images Application Practices.By U.E. Zenkevich, I.V.Glushkov and T.A. Antonova
In 2008, the non-profit partnership “Transparent World” conducted space monitoring of logging rules offence. The primary task of the project was to estimate the scope of infringements of Forest Code and Logging Rules (in force as of 2007) using high and very high resolution remote sensing imagery.
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Moscow Region Forest Cover Dynamics Based on the Earth Remote Sensing Data.By T.V. Chernenkova and D.N. Kozlov
Until recently, forest protection belt around Moscow has been strictly inviolable. At present, on the strength of amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation, construction of roads and other linear objects on forest lands is allowed and so is dynamic residential development. What is the actual scope of deforestation in Moscow Region? How are the forests spread? In what way does the forest structure change? And what about the forest floristic diversity? Aerospace survey objective evidence helps to answer all these questions. Analysis of the forest cover condition of Moscow Region southwest, based on the multispectral Landsat imagery acquired in the early1990s and 2000s, is used as an example in the present article.
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Satellite Monitoring of Boreal Forest Cover.By P.V. Potapov, M. Hansen and S. Stehman
Timely updates of large area forest cover and change facilitate studies of biogeochemical cycling and climate modeling, forest management, and ecological integrity. Our method employed an internally consistent and efficient probability-based sampling approach that integrates low and high spatial resolution satellite data sets for gross forest cover loss estimation within boreal forest biome. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of the developed protocol for operational, cost-effective, and timely monitoring of forest cover changes at global and national scale.
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Means of Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Technologies in Forestry and Forest Inventory.By S.P. Greshnov
The need in further integration of applied software tools, forest inventory databases and space images within the frames of permanent forest inventory is quite evident. Country-wise introduction of full-fledged and understandable geoinformation technologies and general access to high resolution space imagery for all foresters from top to bottom will solve plenty of problems and cut the number of Forest Code violations.
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Monitoring Tropical Rain Forests: Some Recent Developments.By Gordon Petrie
Monitoring of the world’s two largest areas of tropical rain forest — covering the basins of the River Amazon in South America and the River Congo in Central Africa — by the use of remote sensing data enables to estimate the real scale of deforestation in consequence of the clearance of large areas of ground through the felling or burning of the trees for agricultural purposes, or the cutting down of very large numbers of trees for sale. The author of the article recounts the ways of tropical rain forests monitoring problems solving in Brazil and Central Africa.
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Thematic Tasks Classifier to Assess Natural Resources and Environment Based on Remote Sensing Data
“Thematic tasks classifier to assess natural resources and environment based on remote sensing data” is meant to be used when preparing requests for RS data, planning and coordination of activities to create and develop departmental, regional and municipal RS programs. The 7th Classifier edition was printed in 2008. The excerpts related to forestry are published in the first issue of the “Earth from space — the most effective solutions” magazine.
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Trends
EOStation Universal Ground Station for Territory Operational Space Monitoring.By A.G. Kichigin
Universal ground station EOStation (Earth Observation Station) was designed in 2004 by ScanEx R&D Center for operational space monitoring of territories. The article is devoted to the station’s capabilities for automatic processing of MODIS data acquired from Terra and Aqua satellites and preparation of information products of space monitoring of targets and events (including forest fires, ice situation, snow, vegetation cover, seasonal and flash floods, weather conditions monitoring).
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Space Technology for the White Sea Greenland Seal Population Protection.By O.N. Gershenzon, A.V. Filippova, E.N. Skripnik and A.S. Velikanov
The joint project initiated by ScanEx RDC and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) together with partners was carried out in March — April, 2009. It was aimed at the protection of the Greenland seal population at the White Sea. Methods of operational satellite-based monitoring of vessel passage through ice and detecting seal nursery spots, using highly-detailed images from space, were tested out.
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