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Application of Remote Sensing Technologies for Assessing Planted Forests Damaged by Insect Pests and Fungal Pathogens: a Review

  • Remote Sensing (P Bunting, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

In this review, we highlight recent developments and applications in remote sensing that can improve the accuracy and timeliness of health assessments in plantations managed for timber and pulp production. The detection and mapping of damage extent and severity caused by insect pests and fungal pathogens is a common requirement of foresters managing plantations. The objectives of these surveys can range from early detection for targeted intervention to more strategic aims of predicting stand susceptibility or evaluating the performance of management strategies.

Recent Findings

Recent developments in remote sensing technologies and big data modelling techniques can now provide spatially explicit, quantitative solutions for these management objectives that are more accurate than manual field-based assessments of tree damage or airborne visual mapping. Past studies have identified a large number of spectral, textural and structural metrics that have been used in models to classify specific tree crown damage symptoms. This process requires a detailed understanding of the chronology of crown symptoms for specific damaging agents and the spectral responses to these symptoms. Continuing increases in the spatial and spectral resolution of remote sensors enables crown-level damage classification.

Summary

The development of data processing workflows that fuse spectral information with three-dimensional (3D) data acquired simultaneously from single or different remote platforms promote the opportunities to derive both structural and physiological crown-level attributes that relate to crown damage. The simultaneous acquisition of spectral and 3D point data will enable plantation foresters to derive several spatial products, including the assessment of tree health in a cost-effective manner.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgements

In addition to all the international researchers who have been cited in this review, many aspects associated with the application of remote sensing technologies for the assessment of forest health were investigated by researchers in Australia including Nicholas Coops, Jan Verbesselt, Neil Sims, Nicholas Goodwin, Karen Barry, Elizabeth Pietrzykowski, Laurie Chisholm, Darius Culvenor and most recently Iurii Shendryk. We also thank the Forest & Wood Products Australia and the Australian commercial forestry sector for their financial support into research projects investigating the application of remote sensing technologies for forest and plantation health assessment. This review was significantly improved by comments from an anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NSW Forest Science, NSW Department of Industry – Lands, Level 12, 10 Valentine Ave, Parramatta, 2124, Australia

    Christine Stone

  2. School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania, Room 310, Life Sciences Building, Sandy Bay Campus, Hobart, TAS, 7005, Australia

    Caroline Mohammed

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Correspondence to Christine Stone.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Stone has received funding from the Forest & Wood Products Australia to work on this topic and both authors are collaborating on an ACIAR project to progress this topic.

Dr. Mohammed declares no conflicts of interests.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Remote Sensing

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Stone, C., Mohammed, C. Application of Remote Sensing Technologies for Assessing Planted Forests Damaged by Insect Pests and Fungal Pathogens: a Review. Curr Forestry Rep 3, 75–92 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-017-0056-1

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