The Use Of Satellite Data and Gis in Monitoring of Indonesian Forest Cover

Abstract

Forest damage in Indonesia increased very fast so that the monitoring of forest cover which can be conducted swiftly is needed. The evaluations of forest cover require to be done at national level and also at forest management unit (FMU) level. The use of low resolution satellite data and Geographic Information System (GIS) are suitable for quick evaluation of forest cover at national scale, while use GIS with modeling of field condition is better used for the scale of FMU. Satellite data of SPOT 4 Vegetation (SPOTVEG) used for the classification of forest cover in Indonesia. From three classification methods that were implemented such that maximum likelihood, fuzzy and fuzzy knowledge based classification, the last method gives the best result to recognize good forest cover. Hereinafter by the help of GIS, the change of Indonesia forest cover from 2001 – 2004 based on the district could be identified quickly (good forest cover change into degraded forest or even converted into other land use). The rate of forest cover change was found related to the original forest cover acreage, population density and income per capita. Forest disturbances at forest management unit level can be modeled through its vulnerability classes of wood encroachment, in this cases, we use variable of the percentage of stolen wood volume. From 500 data of wood encroachment (spatial and temporal data) in Forest plantation management unit, we obtained that stolen wood volume are determined by forest age classes and road distance. By using GIS modeling, we can make a simulation of forest vulnerability classes at FMU level spatially and temporarily. The simulation result showed that the level of vulnerability classes can change according to time and the compartments location.