Identification of the thickets of Heracleum sosnowskyi using Earth remote sensing data
E. V. Tovstik, T. A. Adamovich, V. V. Rutman, G. Ya. Kantor, T. Ya. Ashikhmina
Section: Research methods. Models and projects
Sosnowsky’s hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden.) is one of the most dangerous invasive plant species,common in the European part of Russia and some European countries. Its spread threatens the biological diversity of natural ecosystems. The danger of H. sosnowskyi for the human health lies in its ability to cause skin burns. Large populations of H. sosnowskyi can be found in uncultivated fields, meadows, on the banks and in the vicinity of watercourses and reservoirs, on the outskirts of forests, and along roads. Currently in Russia, in connection with the massive
spread of H. sosnowskyi, the question is raised about the need to create a special federal target program to control this dangerous species. The data of the Earth remote sensing can provide essential assistance in planning the measures to control the spread of H. sosnowskyi. Satellite imagery provide information about localization and areas of plant communities in large areas. To monitor the distribution of H. sosnowskyi, it is possible to use multispectral as well as monochrome satellite images of high and medium resolution. In our study we used images from the Sentinel-2 satellitewith a resolution of 10 m. The detection of the foci was carried out on the territory of certain districts of the Kirov region of Russian Federation. The populations of Sosnowsky’s hogweed are well recognized visually on synthesized
color images using either three channels of the visible range (blue, green, red), or two visible (blue and green) and near infrared channel. Both variants give very close results, providing reliable identification of thickets of the hogweed.
ISSN 1995-4301
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