ERS/SAR data application for Russian boreal forests mapping and monitoring

This study is aimed at assessing ERS/SAR data application for Russian forests mapping and monitoring. Implementation of this task includes assessment of ERS/SAR data benefits for discrimination of forest-covered areas, territory classification by land and forest types. The choice of the SAR sensor is substantiated by its well-known advantages, such as independence of cloud cover and sensitivity to humidity, volume of forest phytomass and structure of forest stands. The study comprises thematic processing of satellite images obtained within different vegetation seasons and assessment of correlations between SAR and in-situ data. This is done for several forest classes. Backscattering coefficients were derived for these classes. The results of classification were compared both visually and statistically. The studies are carried out for test area in the St. Petersburg region