Forest damage assessment of a part of Kupyansk forestry due to fires caused by military actions

Authors

  • Mykhailo Popov Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Olesia Honchara str., 55-b, Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1738-8227
  • Artem Andreiev Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Olesia Honchara Str., 55-b, Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6485-449X
  • Sofiia Alpert State University "Kyiv Aviation Institute", Lubomyr Husar Ave. 1, Kyiv 03058, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7284-6502
  • Artur Lysenko Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Olesia Honchara Str., 55-b, Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2923-8648
  • Stanislav Golubov Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Olesia Honchara Str., 55-b, Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3711-598X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36023/ujrs.2025.12.1.272

Keywords:

forest damage assessment, classification maps, Leaf Area Index, canopy density

Abstract

The Russian-Ukrainian war has led to considerable damage to Ukraine's forests. Over two years of war, more than 60,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed in the occupied territories. The losses from timber destruction alone exceed 14 billion hryvnias, while the total cost of restoring environmental damage could be significantly higher. Particularly in the Kharkiv region, where approximately 40-45% of the forested areas have been impacted by wildfires triggered by ongoing military operations. It is well-established that the destruction or loss of forests has significant negative implications. In this study, we have assessed the damage to a part of Kupyansk Forestry in the Kharkiv region. Three indicators were selected to assess forest damage: forest area, their condition, and wildfires. Data for these indicators were sourced exclusively from Earth observation (EO) technologies. The forest area was evaluated using Dynamic World classification maps, while the Leaf Area Index (LAI) from MODIS products was utilized to assess forest conditions. Given that ground-based research is impossible due to landmines, the data for each of these indicators was obtained only from remote sensing sources. This indicator reflects what part of the leaf surface covers the pixel area. Thus, LAI can be used to estimate the canopy density. Wildfires were detected using the FIRMS product. The analysis indicated the following changes in the study area: As of 2024, the forest area decreased by 1.7 times compared to 2021; LAI values for the forests fell by 1.92 times over the same period; and the number of wildfires during the military conflict (from February 24, 2022, to June 22, 2024) was 7.6 times higher than in the corresponding timeframe before the full-scale invasion (from February 24, 2019, to June 22, 2021).

Author Contributions: Conceptualization – M.O. Popov and A.A. Andreiev; methodology – M.O. Popov and A.A. Andreiev; formal analysis – S.I. Alpert; investigation – A.A. Andreiev and S.I. Alpert; data curation –A.A Andreiev, A.R. Lysenko and S.I. Golubov; writing – original draft preparation – A.A. Andreiev and M.O. Popov; writing–review and editing: S.I. Alpert, A.R. Lysenko and S.I. Golubov; visualization – A.R. Lysenko and S.I. Golubov. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: This research funded by Grant of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to research laboratories/groups of young scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for conducting research in priority areas of science and technology (2025-2026) for the project "Development of a geoinformation toolbox for remote assessment of shelterbelts damaged by military actions" No. State Registration 0125U001511.

Data Availability Statement: Data available on reasonable request from the authors.

Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for supporting this research. We are also grateful to the reviewers and editors for their valuable comments, recommendations, and attention to the work.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

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Published

2025-03-30

How to Cite

Popov, M., Andreiev, A., Alpert, S., Lysenko, A., & Golubov, S. (2025). Forest damage assessment of a part of Kupyansk forestry due to fires caused by military actions. Ukrainian Journal of Remote Sensing, 12(1), 4–13. https://doi.org/10.36023/ujrs.2025.12.1.272

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Techniques for Earth observation data acquisition, processing and interpretation

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