Mapping Forest Disturbances in the Qinling Mountains Using Multi-Source Satellite Data Fusion

Abstract

To overcome limitations in long-term forest disturbance monitoring in mountainous areas arising from persistent cloud contamination and observation sparsity, this study proposed a forest disturbance identification method based on multi-source satellite data fusion, combining Landsat and Sentinel spectral time-series data (2014-2023) in the Qinling Mountains and employing an optimized LandTrendr parameter scheme to derive disturbance year, magnitude, and duration, achieving detailed disturbance detection and mapping and validating spatiotemporal consistency using GFC, FAGE products, and visually interpreted reference samples. The results demonstrate that the proposed multisource data fusion and optimized LandTrendr approach attained an overall accuracy of 96.51% with a Kappa coefficient of 0.908, exhibiting strong agreement with validation data and superior detection performance compared with the single-sensor LandTrendr model. During the period 2014-2023, the total forest disturbance area in the Qinling Mountains reached about 4.01×103 km2, and disturbances were predominantly distributed in foothill zones characterized by elevations near 800 m and slope gradients of 15°-35°. The proposed forest disturbance detection framework and high-precision disturbance products offer valuable support for long-term forest monitoring and sustainable management in regions with complex topography.