Assessment of the Risk of Disturbance Impact on Primeval and Managed Forests Based on Earth Observation Data Using the Example of Slovak Eastern Carpathians

Forests of Slovak Eastern Carpathians provide essential services to society ensuring human well-being. Primeval forests that remained there untouched have exceptional value. Unsustainable logging and climate change intensify forest disturbances and may cause substantial forest loss. The engagement of remote sensing allows timely monitoring and prediction of negative consequences. The leaf area index is selected from the other forest’s condition indicators to assess the forests’ quantity and disturbance. The conceptual approach for risk assessment of forest disturbance is proposed. This approach uses multiscale multi-temporal Earth observation data, such as synthetic aperture radar imagery and high-level satellite data products. The output response of the forest’s condition was restored by multivariate regression with radar backscattering coefficients, relative difference polarization index, and local incidence angle. The low-resolution leaf area index pre-developed Copernicus data products make it possible to characterize the forest’s condition without ground truth measurements. According to the elaborated methodology, a time series of the leaf area index was mapped, and risks analysis was performed according to hazard functions. A resulting risk’s gradations map is a good tool for future research and decision-making support in nature management. The high spatial resolution of the output maps allows getting a more detailed assessment of forest disturbance behavior.