ECOLOGICAL MONITORING OF FORESTS BASED ON SPECTRAL INDICES (CASE STUDY OF FORESTRY IN SOUTH OF UKRAINE) .

The study deals with a usage of spectral indices for the ecological control of the state of forestry with particular emphasis on the control of causes and effects of forest fires, their effective detection and prevention. The Karabai tract was selected as an object of study, which is a monoculturally planted pine forest with predominance of Rhinus sylvestris L. and P. pallasiana D. Don, located on the territory of Kherson region, Ukraine. This forestry is known for one of the largest forest fires in Ukraine, which took place in the summer of 2007, and by the results of which, directly at the site, more than 25 km² of forest was destroyed. Google Earth Engine and MapInfo Professional software were used as research tools. In the analysis of the object of study according to the results of the calculation of spectral indices, the following surfaces were constructed: NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) – to determine the area and level of damage to the forest; NBRT (Normalized Burn Ratio Thermal) – for indicating the fire and the character of a fire spread; NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) – for the diagnosis of the level of aridity of forest areas, which is accordingly a sign of the risk of forest fires in the summer. It was investigated, that the fire occurred in the central part of the forestry war caused by excessive dryness (prolonged absence of rainfall and high air temperatures). It is proved that the fire ruined much more than the mentioned official area, which is caused by the extinction of adjacent burnt vegetated areas. Due to the results of the analysis, a number of forestry measures are proposed to prevent the occurrence of fires. In particular: placement of fire protection strips along the most arid areas of the forestry, placement of fire ponds, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]