The development of a Forest Canopy Density (FCD) model in Akamas National Forest Park in Cyprus, using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 satellite data

Abstract

The canopy of trees plays a very important role in forest ecosystems and acts as a regulator, affecting the microclimate and the soil conditions. The density of the forest canopy is associated to the forest development and it can be used as an indicator of forest degradation. Additionally, forest density is one of the most important parameters, used in the design and implementation of programs for forest restoration, especially in cases of areas affected by fires. The main objective of this study is to determine the disturbance that occurred in the canopy density of the Akamas National Forest Park in Cyprus after the fire that occurred on November 13rd, 2019. For the purposes of this study, the Forest Canopy Density model (FCD model) was estimated using the Landsat-8 satellite data. Moreover, this study aimed to evaluate the FCD using Sentinel-2 data. The results from the two satellite sensors were validated and compared with each other. The results obtained from Sentinel-2 seem to be very promising and the calculation of the canopy density through this study is achieved in a better resolution, in contrast to the analysis available by the Landsat-8 satellite.