Silva Fennica : regular issues : 44(1) : sa441109.htm
Mapping biomass variables with a multi-source forest inventory technique
Silva Fennica 44(1): 109–119
Map form information on forest biomass is required for estimating bioenergy potentials and monitoring carbon stocks. In Finland, the growing stock of forests is monitored using multi-source forest inventory, where variables are estimated in the form of thematic maps and area statistics by combining information of field measurements, satellite images and other digital map data. In this study, we used the multi-source forest inventory methodology for estimating forest biomass characteristics. The biomass variables were estimated for national forest inventory field plots on the basis of measured tree variables. The plot-level biomass estimates were used as reference data for satellite image interpretation. The estimates produced by satellite image interpretation were tested by cross-validation. The results indicate that the method for producing biomass maps on the basis of biomass models and satellite image interpretation is operationally feasible. Furthermore, the accuracy of the estimates of biomass variables is similar or even higher than that of traditional growing stock volume estimates. The technique presented here can be applied, for example, in estimating biomass resources or in the inventory of greenhouse gases.
Keywords
biomass maps, biomass models, national forest inventory, remote sensing
Addresses
Tuominen, Haakana and Lehtonen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland; Eerikäinen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Unit, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland; Schibalski, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany. E-mail sakari.tuominen@metla.fi
Received 26 January 2009 Revised 23 November 2009 Accepted 10 February 2010
ISSN 0037-5330