The use of imaging and non-imaging Spectroscopy for the determination of stress phenomena of beech trees

Regarding the predicted climate change, extreme weather events, like heat waves and drought episodes, will be more frequent and thus their impact on forest ecosystems is expected to be stronger. In this context, sustainable forest management and monitoring strategies have to be adapted for saving the multifunctional role of forests. The retrieval of biophysical and biological parameters from remote sensing hyperspectral imagery is a substantial issue for the accurate assessment of forest decline. In this study, we tested the potential of high resolution imaging and non-imaging spectroscopy data for detecting biochemical vegetation parameters during an induced drought stress. For this we implemented a controlled drying-experiment on the European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) during two field campaigns in 2011 and 2012. The assessment of image data, spectral signatures and the derived vegetation indices give conclusions about the plant physiological conditions. The analysis includes the abilities of the chosen vegetation indices concerning drought analysis and their sensitivity towards changes in chlorophyll and water contents.