QUANTIFYING DISTURBED HILL DIPTEROCARP FOREST LANDS IN ULU-TEMBELING,MALAYSIA WITH HRV SPOT IMAGES/

A satellite remote sensing survey was conducted in a disturbed logged- over hill dipterocarp forest of Ulu Tembeling in northern Pahang, Mala ysia to identify and quantify the site disturbance classes due to road construction and logging activities. The merged SPOT data path/row K2 71-5341 was taken in October 3, 1988. The SPOT scene was obtained in a computer-compatible tape format and manual analysis was initiated by selecting a representative subsection of the scene that covered the st udy area. Ground truthing/field work was carried out and parameters su ch as causal factors, forms, sizes, shapes and patterns of soil distur bance were recorded, measured and correlated with image classification . Image interpretation, registration and classification were conducted for visual image analysis. The results showed that forest soil distur bance could be easily detected and monitored with 93% accuracy. Six cl asses of soil disturbance were quantified and recognized, namely (i) p rimary forest road, (ii) secondary forest road, (iii) skid road, (iv) skid trail, (v) secondary landing, and (vi) primary landing. By refere nce to maps of licensing applications and logging permits, legal and u npermitted logging activity can be well identified. However it is emph asized that interpreters should have a prior knowledge of the topograp hy and the soil disturbance pattern of a logged-over forest area to be quantified and identified before actually beginning with image interp retation.