Monitoring forest dynamics using multi-sensor data in Northeastern China

To monitor the dynamics of the forests in the vast Northeastern China region, we are developing an operational forest monitoring system using satellite remote sensing data. The major components of this system will include both standard and enhanced methodologies for forest cover mapping and change detection within a geographic information system (GIS) database. To rapidly assess forest conditions over the large geographical expanses in Northeast China, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are first used to detect areas of change at the macro scale. Once identified, fine resolution Landsat 7 ETM+, and SAR data, are used to generate fine resolution, micro-scale forest maps to characterize the nature/cause of the change(s). This paper describes the project and presents preliminary results in forest classification and change detection in this region.