Multi-temporal photointerpretation analysis of mortality pattern of Ahuehuete (Taxodium mucronatum Ten.) on the coast of the Sabinas River, Coahuila

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the mortality pattern in the tree species of Ahuehuetes in the Río Sabinas bed of the state of Coahuila in the period from 2000 to 2018, using the photointerpretation as an analysis tool of satellite images from the LANDSAT 5 TM sensor, and aerials images obtained using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The NDVI values were obtained from the reflectance values for three sections of the Sabinas’s River bed, which were the object of study in the present investigation, with the results obtained when performing the Chi-square test, it was possible to quantify the number of living or dead trees in each study area and taking the time factor as the dependent variable (x2 = 144.51; df=3; p<2.2 * e-16). The photointerpretation yielded a total of 517 individuals of the species present at the sampled sites within the established period. 155 specimens were identified for the section of las Adjuntas, of these, three were registered as dead in 2010 and 23 individuals were added for 2018. Later, 111 individuals were registered in the Sabinas section, of which, two were registered as dead in 2010 and 26 more were added for 2018.