Open AccessMapping Forest Cover Changes using Sentinel-2A Imagery in the Municipality of Zubin Potok, Republic of Kosovo
Author(s) -
Ibrahim Krasniqi,
Géza Király
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta silvatica and lignaria hungarica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1787-064X
pISSN - 1786-691X
DOI - 10.37045/aslh-2021-0007
Subject(s) - deforestation (computer science) , normalized difference vegetation index , forest cover , vegetation (pathology) , geography , forestry , remote sensing , agroforestry , environmental science , physical geography , climate change , ecology , biology , medicine , pathology , computer science , programming language
This research aimed to investigate the changes in forest cover, utilizing Sentinel-2A imagery data. Annual results of deforestation, non-forest, and forest area in the Municipality of Zubin Potok (Kosovo) between 2016 and 2017 were presented and analyzed by applying the image difference change detection method on a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) product derived for both years. The study reveals that forest coverage in this municipality has changed due to human activity (harvested and burnt forests). The footprint of changes was evidenced by using Sentinel 2A band combinations and very high resolution (VHR) images available in Google Earth (GE). From the overall forest-covered area of 24,873.61 hectares, the detected changes during the annual period are as follows: 24,423.57 ha or 98.19 % is mapped as forest, 113.75 hectares or 0.46 % as non-forest, and 336.77 or 1.35 % of the area forest is mapped as deforestation. These results can be used to identify human-made deforestation and to develop monitoring forest plans for the coming years.