Estimation of Forest Biomass for Energy Purposes Using Vegetation and Field Data Indices, District of Mabalane - Mozambique
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Abstract
In sub-Saharan Africa, the intense exploitation of forests for the extraction of firewood and coal in arid and semi-arid areas. The District of Mabalane supplies the cities of Maputo, Matola and Xai-Xai with firewood and charcoal. However, there is little knowledge about the availability of biomass in these areas. The present study aims to: analyze the relationship between NDVI derived from the satellite image and the biomass estimated in the field; model the estimate of biomass in arid area. NDVI values were obtained from the Landsat-8 satellite image. In the field, fifteen plots with an area of 30 x 30 m were geo-referenced and all live woody plants with a diameter at breast height (DBH) equal to or greater than 2.5 cm were measured and heights and DBHs and their biomass estimated from allometric equations . The NDVI values at the sampling points varied between -0.508 and -0.236, positively correlated with the biomass values estimated in the 3 equations, which ranged from 5.32 to 56.87 {t.h} ^ {- 1}. The linear regression between NDVI and biomass in the model that presented the best result, obtained a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.882. The regression equation adjusted from indirect measurement of biomass and vegetation index by normalized difference (NDVI), made it possible to estimate forest biomass in semi-arid areas by remote sensing, with an error of 36% in the area of the present study. The adjusted model can be used to support biomass estimation studies using remote sensing and field data in similar areas.
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