The endmember spectrum method can improve image classification quality based on the spectral features of pure pixels in remote sensing images. The CART (Classification and Regression Tree) is a powerful machine learning algorithm that can also be used for remote sensing image classification. In this study, the Tamarix chinensis forest in the Changyi National Marine Ecological Special Reserve in Shandong Province was taken as the research object, and the endmember spectrum method and the CART decision tree method were used to compare and analyze the results of land-use/cover-type classification extraction. In the extraction process, the land use/cover types of the Tamarix forest in the study area were first divided into forested land types such as high-density forest land, medium-density forest land, and low-density forest land, as well as non-forested land types such as water bodies, roads, dams, buildings, and bare soil. Through analysis, the following conclusions could be drawn: while the overall forest cover of the Tamarix forest is high, there is still some room for further afforestation and ecological restoration in the protection area; from the results of land-use/cover extraction results based on the endmember spectrum method in the study area, it can be seen that this method has better results when extracting well-grown forested land, such as high-density Tamarix chinensis forests and medium-density Tamarix chinensis forests, and poorer results when extracting non-forested land, such as low-density tamarisk forests, roads, buildings, dams, and water bodies; from the results of land use/cover extraction based on a CART decision tree in the study area, it can be seen that this method is more effective when extracting non-forested land, such as roads, buildings, dams, and water bodies, but less effective when extracting forested land, such as high-density Tamarix chinensis forests, medium-density Tamarix chinensis forests, and low-density Tamarix chinensis forests. The relevant research results and conclusions of this study can provide some reference for the classification and extraction of large-scale shrub forest cover types based on remote sensing images.
