Tree canopy extent and height change in Europe, 2001–2021, quantified using Landsat data archive
Publiceringsår
2023
Upphovspersoner
Turubanova, Svetlana; Potapov, Peter; Hansen, Matthew C.; Li, Xinyuan; Tyukavina, Alexandra; Pickens, Amy H.; Guerra-Hernandez, Juan; Arranz, Adrian Pascual; Guerra-Hernandez, Juan; Senf, Cornelius; Häme, Tuomas; Valbuena, Ruben; Eklundh, Lars; Brovkina, Olga; Navrátilová, Barbora; Novotný, Jan; Harris, Nancy; Stolle, Fred
Visa merAbstrakt
<p>European forests are among the most extensively studied ecosystems in the world, yet there are still debates about their recent dynamics. We modeled the changes in tree canopy height across Europe from 2001 to 2021 using the multidecadal spectral data from the Landsat archive and calibration data from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and spaceborne Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidars. Annual tree canopy height was modeled using regression tree ensembles and integrated with annual tree canopy removal maps to produce harmonized tree height map time series. From these time series, we derived annual tree canopy extent maps using a ≥ 5 m tree height threshold. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) for both ALS-calibrated and GEDI-calibrated tree canopy height maps was ≤4 m. The user's and producer's accuracies estimated using reference sample data are ≥94% for the tree canopy extent maps and ≥ 80% for the annual tree canopy removal maps. Analyzing the map time series, we found that the European tree canopy extent area increased by nearly 1% overall during the past two decades, with the largest increase observed in Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and the British Isles. However, after the year 2016, the tree canopy extent in Europe declined. Some regions reduced their tree canopy extent between 2001 and 2021, with the highest reduction observed in Fennoscandia (3.5% net decrease). The continental extent of tall tree canopy forests (≥ 15 m height) decreased by 3% from 2001 to 2021. The recent decline in tree canopy extent agrees with the FAO statistics on timber harvesting intensification and with the increasing extent and severity of natural disturbances. The observed decreasing tree canopy height indicates a reduction in forest carbon storage capacity in Europe.</p>
Visa merOrganisationer och upphovspersoner
Teknologiska forskningscentralen VTT Ab
Häme Tuomas
Publikationstyp
Publikationsform
Artikel
Moderpublikationens typ
Tidning
Artikelstyp
En originalartikel
Målgrupp
VetenskapligKollegialt utvärderad
Kollegialt utvärderadUKM:s publikationstyp
A1 Originalartikel i en vetenskaplig tidskriftPublikationskanalens uppgifter
Journal
Volym
298
Artikelnummer
113797
ISSN
Publikationsforum
Publikationsforumsnivå
3
Öppen tillgång
Öppen tillgänglighet i förläggarens tjänst
Ja
Öppen tillgång till publikationskanalen
Delvis öppen publikationskanal
Licens för förläggarens version
CC BY
Parallellsparad
Nej
Övriga uppgifter
Vetenskapsområden
Övriga jordbruksvetenskaper
Nyckelord
[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Språk
engelska
Internationell sampublikation
Ja
Sampublikation med ett företag
Nej
DOI
10.1016/j.rse.2023.113797
Publikationen ingår i undervisnings- och kulturministeriets datainsamling
Ja