Assessment of forest dynamics and condition in the Arkhangelsk region using remote sensing technologies and vegetation indices

Conducted study purposed to assess the dynamics and condition of vegetation cover in North-taiga Arctic region, using the Arkhangelsk region as a case study. This involved processing satellite imagery with the calculation of several vegetation indices. The results of the NDVI analysis for 2013 revealed a maximum value of 0.7 and a minimum of –0.25, with an average of 0.30. Values were distributed closely around the mean. By 2022, the average vegetation coverage index had increased to 0.34, suggesting an improvement in vegetation coverage over the study points. The percentage changes were calculated by comparing NDVI values over the study years. The results showed a decrease of 14.29% in areas representing moderate vegetation cover, while areas representing good vegetation cover increased by 15.49%. This increase is attributed to tree growth, improved canopy coverage, and increased vegetation density in 2022, which is a result of effective forest management practices, including thinning and reforestation measures. Analysis of the vegetation aging index indicated values close to zero in 5% of the total study area, while positive values exceeding 0.2 were observed over a significant portion of the region. These findings suggest physiological stress, partial chlorophyll degradation, and the initiation of conversion to carotenoids. The results of the analysis of biophysical indicators showed that the vegetation cover in the study area is in the average state. The average leaf area index was 1.87 over most of the study area, indicating the absence of high densities of vegetation. The average value of the chlorophyll index in the leaves was 88.61, which is also a low value and indicates weak chlorophyll content, which indicates physiological stress and low efficiency of the photosynthesis process.

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