Classification of Current Vegetation Cover and Alpine Treeline Ecotone in the Praded Reserve (Czech Republic), Using Remote Sensing

The goal of the study was to derive up-to-date and complex information on the current vegetation cover of the Praded Reserve (Hruby Jesenik Mountains, Czech Republic), with special regard to the unique alpine treeline ecotone formed by krummholz of Norway spruce. We argue that the data of remote sensing and automated techniques of image processing should be preferably used. Accordingly, a color-infrared orthophoto map was classified in a land cover map employing maximum likelihood spectral classifier, ancillary data, texture analysis, and a knowledge base classification technique. The overall classification accuracy was about 78%, distinguishing 7 land cover classes. Using a reclassified land cover map and the moving window mean filter, a spruce canopy closure map was calculated. The continuous map of the canopy closure was subsequently reclassified in predefined intervals that were used for an automated delimitation and mapping of complex transitional borders of the alpine treeline ecotone. The proposed method can serve for objectified mapping of gradual transitions between any land cover or vegetation classes.