Estimating the age of cerrado regeneration using Landsat TM data

Cerrado is a woody savanna formation covering about one fifth of Brazil with a very complex structure and rich biodiversity. Its rate of conversion surpasses that of all other biomes in Brazil. Remote sensing is the only practical means to monitor the evolution of its conversion and regeneration. The objective of this article is to study the process of regeneration of cerrado vegetation after being a eucalyptus plantation for two decades and to estimate its age using multitemporal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. The study area is a state park in Minas Gerais that was a eucalyptus plantation until 1994 with a broad range of regeneration ages between 13 and 34 years. A total of 47 plots were surveyed for which the exact ages of regeneration are known. Eighteen Landsat TM images were digitally processed to model the reflectance trajectory of the regenerating cerrado and determine its age. Results show that spectral data can be used for estimating the age regeneration up to 30 years with an average accurac...