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DETERMINATION OF FOREST STAND CHARACTERISTICS USING REMOTE SENSING METHODS
Abstract
Latvia is one of the most forested countries in Europe, with forests covering approximately 53% of the country s territory. Forest regeneration often involves the creation of monocultures, which can harm biodiversity and forest sustainability. Intensive planting and the replacement of natural forests with uniform stands increase the vulnerability of forest ecosystems in the long term. Increasing climatic stress is a primary factor contributing to the widespread presence of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). The forest stands analyzed in the study represent several significant problems currently relevant in Latvian forestry, such as overgrown spruce monocultures with insufficient amelioration conditions, and damage by the European spruce bark beetle. The situation was also exacerbated by the strongest summer storm in Latvia to date, which occurred on July 29, 2024. With unmanned aerial vehicles, an orthophoto of the forest stand was obtained. Also, detailed information about the forest stand was required to verify the reliability of the obtained data; therefore, continuous full stem mapping (complete enumeration) was performed. Comparing the full stem mapping results with the orthophoto, it was found that the average height difference is 10%, and the average diameter deviation is 8%. More pronounced differences are observed in the assessment of cross-sectional area and stand, which are closely related to the accuracy of the number and dimensions of trees.
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References6
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