No abstract

Landsat TM images were obtained of blight damage to a Japanese red pine forest in the western part of Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, using a spectral vegetation index; that is, the ratio of the digital number (relative reflectance on the ground surface) of TM Band 4 to Band 3 observed in May 1987, which decreased with the increase in the canopy cover of damaged pine trees measured in the field. The TM images suggested that the areas of damaged forest were concentrated in or near cities, industrial areas and expressways. The correlation between forest damage and environmental factors (air pollution and urban development) around the pine forest was therefore analysed by overlaying the blight damage with the proportion of developed areas obtained from TM data or mesh data of air pollution. The results of analysis indicated a significant correlation between forest damage and environmental factors, and showed that these two environmental factors made nearly equal contributions to the blight damage in the pine forest. This suggests that urban development and air pollution may affect the physiology of pine trees and promote blight by reducing the resistance of trees to the pinewood nematode.