Volume quantification of coniferous forest compartments using spectral radiance recorded by Landsat Thematic Mapper

This study aims to (i) investigate the relationship between spectral radiance recorded by the Landsat Thematic Mapper and the volume (m3 ha−1) of forest compartments in a coniferous forest area in southern Sweden and (ii) establish and evaluate a regression for volume estimation of forest compartments. A regression of volume on spectral radiance of TM5 was established with Wald's method. Spectral radiance in Landsat TM band 5 had the largest correlation with field measurements of volume, r =−0·79. The correlation coefficient between observed volume and estimated volume was 0·83 and the standard error of estimate was 46·5m3ha−1. Accepting an error of ± 50m3ha−1 in the estimation resulted in a classification accuracy of 77 per cent. It was concluded that there is a stronger relationship between spectral radiance and volume for compartments with small volumes than for compartments with large volumes.