Clear-cut detection using ERS interferometry

To investigate the possibility of detecting clear-cutting of boreal forests with ERS interferometry, 17 interferograms from 1992 to 1995 of forested and clear-cut areas in northern Sweden have been studied. Using the measurements, and the known statistics of coherence estimation, we show that in typical cases 95% of clear-cuts larger than 0.4 ha should be detectable. The detection accuracy depends mainly on the interferometric coherence and thus varies significantly depending on weather conditions at and between the image acquisitions. The results indicate that the main benefit of using backscatter intensity to supplement the interferometric coherence is to increase the robustness of clear-cut detection using ERS images.