Gain to be achieved from stand delineation in LANDSAT TM image-based estimates of stand volume

The information contained in stand compartment databases can be utilized in the context of remote sensing interpretation. The study discusses the gain to be achieved by using digital stand border maps when estimating the growing stock of forest stands from satellite images. The reference sample plot method (RSP) and National Forest Inventory (NFI) sample plots were used to estimate forest stand volumes. The stand edge information on the NFI field plots was used to estimate the areas of the stand margins. The relative improvement in accuracy in the volume estimates when stand delineation data were used was from 62% to 56%, and correspondingly, the use of satellite image segmentation resulted in a 59% RMSE. The variation between similar studies is, nevertheless, due to the data and the validation method. The mean square error estimates were too high for practical forest management planning of small stands. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.