EnMAP as a forest observer
EnMAP as a forest observer
Forest ecosystems are among the most important guarantors of key ecological functions that EnMAP will explore. For the sustainable economic and ecological management of forest ecosystems, EnMAP will provide crucial information on forest structures and forest resources. However, negative environmental influences have increased the 'stress' on forests. Until now, the damage has largely been surveyed visually on site by forestry officials – a mammoth task, since 90 billion trees are spread over an area of 11.4 million hectares. This means that one third of Germany's land area is covered by forest. This is where EnMAP can help. For example, it can record drought stress – the image shows the Donnersberg forest area in Rhineland-Palatinate. The hyperspectral 'Photochemical Reflectance Index' (PRI), (left) already shows early signs of stress, while the ‘Double Ratio Moisture Stress Index’ (DRMSI), which can also be calculated from multispectral data, does not yet do so.
