Estimating Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Periurban Andean Secondary Forests Using Very High Resolution Imagery

Abstract

Periurban forests are key to offsetting anthropogenic carbon emissions, but they are under constant threat from urbanization. In particular, secondary Neotropical forest types in Andean periurban areas have a high potential to store carbon, but are currently poorly characterized. To address this lack of information, we developed a method to estimate periurban aboveground biomass (AGB)-a proxy for multiple ecosystem services-of secondary Andean forests near Bogotá, Colombia, based on very high resolution (VHR) GeoEye-1, Pleiades-1A imagery and field-measured plot data. Specifically, we tested a series of different pre-processing workflows to derive six vegetation indices that were regressed against in situ estimates of AGB. Overall, the coupling of linear models and the Ratio Vegetation Index produced the most satisfactory results. Atmospheric and topographic correction proved to be key in improving model fit, especially in high aerosol and rugged terrain such as the Andes. Methods and findings provide baseline AGB and carbon stock information for little studied periurban Andean secondary forests. The methodological approach can also be used for integrating limited forest monitoring plot AGB data with very high resolution imagery for cost-effective modelling of ecosystem service provision from forests, monitoring reforestation and forest cover change, and for carbon offset assessments.

Above-ground biomass estimation forQuercus rotundifoliausing vegetation indices derived from high spatial resolution satellite images

“…IKONOS, WorldView-2 and QuickBird images, with high spatial resolution, have been used to study biomass in oil palm plantations in Africa (Thenkabail et al, 2004); tree parameters in Amazon forest (Palace, Keller, Asner, Hagen, & Braswell, 2008); structural parameters in Pinus forest in Central Spain (Gómez, Wulder, Montes, & Delgado, 2012); biomass in highdensity biomass wetlands vegetation (Mutanga, Adam, & Cho, 2012); forest attributes and above-ground biomass in boreal forest stands in Canada (Mora, Wulder, White, & Hobart, 2013); above-ground biomass in mangrove forests in Thailand (Hirata et al, 2014) and in desert steppe ecosystems in Mongolia (Ren & Zhou, 2014); and forest biomass in Chile and Germany (Maack et al, 2015). Using GeoEye-1 and Pleiades-1A images, Clerici, Rubiano, Abd-Elrahman, Hoestettler, and Escobedo (2016) developed a methodology to estimate above-ground biomass in a complex forest in the Colombian Andes. This satellite data can produce detailed spatial distribution biomass maps that are often impossible to acquire using coarser resolutions due to the mixed pixel effects (Wulder, Hall, & Franklin, 2004).…”

“…According to Ferreira, Ferreira, and Ferreira (2008) and Mutanga et al (2012) the vegetation indices based on red (RED) and near-infrared (NIR) bands are directly related to the photosynthetic activity of vegetation, such as NDVI for which good results for biomass estimation were attained in tropical landscapes (Foody, Boyd, & Cutler, 2003;Steininger, 2000), as well as in Mediterranean evergreen oaks and shrublands (Calvão & Palmeirim, 2004;Carreiras, Pereira, & Pereira, 2006;Pereira, Oliveira, & Paul, 1995;Viana et al, 2012), biomass, volume and basal area (Maciel, Bastos, Carvalho, & Watrin, 2009) and above-ground biomass and carbon stocks (Clerici et al, 2016).…”

Does “Greening” of Neotropical Cities Considerably Mitigate Carbon Dioxide Emissions? The Case of Medellin, Colombia

“…Indeed, given the interdisciplinary focus and multiple functions of the nature-based solution approach in addressing not only climate change but other socio-economic problems, such an approach by definition is more warranted in tropical regions of Latin America and Asia where access to resources, employment, green spaces, and quality of life is often inequitable [7,9,17]. Such an approach is also in line with the recent United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 11) of making, "cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" [50].…”

The Biodiversity of Urban and Peri-Urban Forests and the Diverse Ecosystem Services They Provide as Socio-Ecological Systems

“…This is probably because society needs more information so as to become more pro-active and empowered as to how green space and vegetation in "their" landscape can help in some way. In Colombia, Clerici et al [9] developed a cost-effective method combining high-resolution, remotely sensed imagery classification with ground-truthed plot data to estimate and monitor the above-ground tree biomass and carbon stocks in peri-urban Andean forests. In China, Lv et al [10] studied above-and below-ground carbon stocks in more than 200 plots and surmised that soil carbon increases in urban green spaces have sequestered an additional 25% on top of that stored above-ground in the existing or planted urban forests of the Harbon City region.…”