Monitoring coniferous forest biomass change using a Landsat trajectory-based approach

We tested the method over a coniferous forest region in the Western Carpathian Mountains, which experienced long-term environmental changes. Overall, 55% (~ 30,700 ha) of the total coniferous forest experienced a loss of biomass over the observation period, while ~ 30% showed severe or complete removal of forest biomass. At the same time, 11.2% of the area was reforested or regenerated on previously damaged forest stands. The total coniferous biomass dropped by 15% between 1985 and 2010, indicating negative balance between the losses and the gains. Disturbance hotspots indicate high insect infestation levels in many areas and reveal strong interactions between biomass loss and climate conditions. Our study demonstrates how spatial and temporal estimates of biomass help to understand regional forest dynamics and derive degradation trends in regard to regional climate change.