Assessing Human Impacts on Australian Forests through Integration of Remote Sensing Data

Prior to and since European settlement, humans have impacted on the vegetation of Queensland, Australia, primarily by changing fire regimes and clearing forests for agriculture but also by introducing flora and fauna. Such changes have been mapped and monitored in the past through the use of airborne (e.g., aerial photography) and spaceborne optical (e.g., Landsat) remote sensing data. However, with the increased provision of data in different modes (radar, lidar) and at various spatial resolutions (<1-> 250 m), opportunities for detecting, characterizing, mapping and monitoring such changes have been increased. In particular, the combination of radar and optical data has allowed better assessment of deforestation patterns (clear felling, stem injection), regeneration and woody thickening, tree death from climatic change, and biomass/biomass change. Such information also provides new insights into the associated changes in carbon dynamics and biodiversity. Using a series of case studies, these advances in technology and the benefits for Statewide and national mapping and monitoring of forest extent and condition are reviewed.