Regional monitoring of forests using the Vega-Les system: case study for Tungussko-Chunskoye forest management unit and Tunguska reserve in the Russian Krasnoyarsk region

This paper demonstrates the capabilities of the Vega-Les (“Les” is the Russian word meaning “forest”) information system (IS) for forest monitoring. A brief assessment and characteristics of the Earth observation data and main available thematic products about Russian forests available in the system are given. An assessment of the capabilities of the Vega-Les IS for studying local scale forest changes was carried out. The Tungussko-Chunskoye forest management unit (FMU) and the Tunguska nature reserve in the Russian Krasnoyarsk Krai region were chosen as the test area. The analysis of forest cover changes over this area since the beginning of the 21st century, including the changes in the number and extent of wildfires, is presented. As a result, it is concluded that the Vega-Les IS is applicable for remote assessment and monitoring of various characteristics of Russian forests.