2018 Volume 52 Issue 1 Pages 7-14
The objective of this study was to investigate characteristics of spectral reflectance of arakashi (Quercus glauca) stands using time series Landsat images for developing a method for detecting arakashi stands for sustainable charcoal production. The ratios of surface reflectance, SR of band 2, 3, and 4 to the sum of those SRs (B-rate, G-rate and R-rate) and NDVI were calculated using Landsat images for the period from March to August. This period included the flushing season of arakashi as they shed old leaves and form new leaves. Trend analysis of time series change in those indices were performed for pure arakashi stands and evergreen broad-leaved stands occupied by other species in Misato Town,and also among densely and sparsely arakashi-dominated evergreen broad-leaved stands in Aya Town, Japan. Comparative analysis did not reveal any explicit trend differences in the time series in the indices, while Ortho-photos of arakashi pure stands developed from the aerial images using an UAV highlighted the explicit decrease in B-rate and the explicit increase in G-rate after the flushing season.
