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Application of Remote Sensing
~echnologyin Assessing Village Wood
Resources in Bangladesh
Jamil Ahmed ~ h o w d h u r ~ l
Abstract.-Recent advances in the quality and analytical technology of
satellite imagery have made it possible to achieve high precision in forest
resource inventories. Increasing ground resolution in particulars, is of
special interest in the study of small forest areas, and in cutting down
the need for costly ground measurements. This paper presents the stateof-the-art in using remote sensing technology in assessing wood
resources in Bangladesh. It presents some results of forest inventory
using SPOT imagery, and discusses the need to develop the remote
sensing technology towards the capability to assess wood resources in
village conditions where mixed cropping is practised. Practical
limitations are pointed out.
INTRODUCTION
Resent developments and strategies in the forestry sector of Bangladesh are
targeted self sufficiency in wood resources through social/ community forestry
practice. This represents a partial shift from the traditional system of maintaining
large, spatially separate and identifiable forests to a "balance" position where the
bulk of the basic wood demand will be met by wood from village wood resources.
The task of the resource assessment expert now has to shift towards estimating
wood resources in scattered villages and homesteads.
Preliminary Sampling Design
Each district is stratified by crop density/crop combinations and within each
stratum, a double sampling procedure is applied, the roles of remote sensing data
in this scenario are :
- to produce accurate maps of crop areas.
- to aid in crop stratification
- to identify the timelseason suitable for crop measurement.
In order to reduce sampling costs, it is useful to consider a two or three-stage
design whereby the areas which are to be stratified are themselves secondary or
tertiary sampling units respectively.
CONCLUSION
Establishment of a system of plots comparable to the permanent sample plots in
villages might yield good results if used in combination with remote sensing
products.
Divkional Officer, Bangladesh Forest Research Institufe,Chffagong, Bangladesh
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