Evaluation of high spectral resolution laboratory reflectance data of healthy and damaged beech and spruce branches for the improvement of forest damage classification

Abstract

In the past decade forest damage became a serious environmental problem in Germany. In support of a research project for the development of multispectral forest damage monitoring high spectral resolution measurements on 1-7 stacked beech and spruce branches of different degree of damage were performed in the laboratory. The influence of primary effects of damage on spectral reflectance was measured in the 0.49 - 2.50 µm region. In the visible the reflectance peak raises with increasing damage. Red shift of the reflectance peak and a variation of the shape at the beginning to the NIR-slope was observed. In the IR reflectance decreases with theincrease of damage. These results provi de valuable information for spectral band selection and optimization of forest damage classification with multispectral scanner data.