Spatial Analysis of Limitations of Clearcutting in Catchment Areas Using Remote Sensing Data and GIS Technologies

Logging activities significantly affect the most important functions of forest ecosystems. Forestry intensification implies not only an increase in timber harvest volumes, but also informed planning and control over the implemented activities aimed at forest restoration in felled areas. The basis for carrying out these measures rests on taking into account the landscape-ecological features of the territory where the economic activity takes place. Minimization of the negative impact of logging on ecosystems is taken into consideration in the Forest Code and in the standards of forest management of independent systems of voluntary forest certification. The purpose of the study is to develop and analyze the applicability of individual parameters for assessing the condition of exploited forest sites in the ranking of risks associated with timber harvesting. Materials and methods. The main attention is paid to the quantitative indicators that can be processed using methods of statistical analysis. The set of proposed values is based on the use of geoinformation methods, remote sensing data, and spatial analysis tools. On the example of analyzing the spatial data on the actively developed forest areas in the basins of the rivers Bol. Vizinga, Kobra, Lopyu, Nivshera, and Nizhma of the Komi Republic, additional criteria have been proposed for monitoring and assessing possible risks arising in the wood logging process. Results. In accordance with the purpose of the study, the following criteria for assessing the condition of exploited forest areas have been identified: (1) logging localization in the network of protected areas, (2) areas of clearcuts, (3) presence of intact forest areas in the vicinity of a planned logging area, (4) the mosaic of forest environment, and (5) the indicator of preservation of the water-regulating function of forests. All measured parameters are territorially linked not to administrative or forestry boundaries but to the natural landscape contours included in a single watershed. Conclusion. All of the above parameters can be used as an additional assessment of forest management sites, in land development monitoring, as well as in landscape-ecological planning. The criteria are closely related to the requirements of voluntary forest certification and allow minimizing the negative impact on the ecological functions of forest landscapes in the context of forest management intensification.