Canadian Forest Service Publications
Predictions of forest inventory cover type proportions using Landsat TM. 2000. Magnussen, S.; Boudewyn, P.A.; Wulder, M.A.; Seemann, D. Silva Fennica 34(4): 351-370.
Year: 2000
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 5526
Language: English
Availability: PDF (download)
Abstract
The feasibility of generating via Landsat TM data current estimates of cover type proportions for areas lacking this information in the national forest inventory was explored by a case study in New Brunswick. A recent forest management inventory covering 4196 km 2 in south-eastern New Brunswick (the test area) and a coregistered Landsat TM scene was used to develop predictive models of 12 cover type proportions in an adjacent 4525 km 2 region (the validation area). Four prediction models were considered,one using a maximum likelihood classifier (MLC), and three using the proportions of 30 TM clusters as predictors. The MLC was superior for non-vegetated cover types while a neural net or a prorating of cluster proportions was chosen for predicting vegetated cover types. Most predictions generated for national inventory photo-plots of 2 x 2 km were closer to the most recent inventory results than estimates extrapolated from the test area. Agreement between predictions and current inventory results varied considerably among cover types with model-based predictions outper-forming, on average, the simple spatial extensions by about 14 %.In this region,an 11-year-old forest inventory for the validation area provided estimates that in half the cases were closer to current inventory estimates than predictions using the optimal Landsat TM model. A strong temporal correlation of photo-plot-level cover type proportions made old-values more consistent than predictions using the optimal Landsat TM model in all but three cases. Prorating of cluster proportions holds promise for large-scale multi-sensor predictions of forest inventory cover types.