Early detection of Ips typographus infestations by using Sentinel-2 satellite images in windthrow affected Norway spruce forests in Smolyan region, Bulgaria

Abstract

Strong winds uprooted more than 100 thousand m3 of coniferous trees in natural forest stands nearby the town of Smolyan (the Western Rhodopes) in January 2018. Although damaged trees were quickly removed from the stands, the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) attacked the healthy Norway spruce trees near the windthrow areas in August 2020. Our hypothesis was that the trees were infested by the pest in previous years when no symptoms of attacks were observed. This study was conducted in three spruce stands, located near the windthrow areas and attacked by I. typographus, and in three control (healthy) stands located 5-10 km from the affected areas. We used satellite images captured by Sentinel-2 in September 2017-2020. It was established that in September 2017 (a year before the windthrow), the mean values of the Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the attacked stands were concentrated between 0.60 and 0.75 (with a maximum at 0.70), indicating that the trees were in good health. During the period 2018-2020 the distribution of mean values of NDVI was stretched between 0.35 and 0.75, which is an indication of evidence of pest attacks on the individual trees. The detail comparison of pixel values of the NDVI in the attacked and control sample plots was made on the base of images captured on 27.06.2020. The mean NDVI values in the three control plots (0.74-0.79) were much higher than the mean values in the sample plots attacked by the pest (0.57-0.65). These results showed that the values of NDVI based on satellite remote sensing data of Sentinel-2 can be used for early detection of I. typographus infestations in spruce stands around the windthrows. These data are important for rapid planning and implementing the sanitary feelings that reduce the pest population.