Forest cover change and illegal logging in the Ukrainian Carpathians in the transition period from 1988 to 2007

摘要: Abstract Illegal logging is a major environmental and economic problem, exceeds in some countries the amounts of legally harvested timber. In Eastern Europe former Soviet Union, illegal increased reforestation on abandoned farmland was widespread after breakdown socialism, region's forest cover trends remain overall largely unclear. Our goal here to map change assess extent Ukrainian Carpathians. We used Landsat TM/ETM+ images Support Vector Machines (SVM) derive trajectories between 1988 2007 for entire calculated rates, compared Landsat-based official statistics inventory maps. classification resulted reliable forest/non-forest maps (overall accuracies 97.1%–98.01%) high clear cut detection rates (on average 89.4%). Forest Carpathians 2007. found increase peripheral areas, loss interior Carpathians, remote areas. Overall, our results suggest that unsustainable use from socialist times likely persisted post-socialist period, resulting continued older forests fragmentation. differed substantially resource statistics. appears have been at least as extensive documented during early 1990s so-called sanitary clear-cuts represent loophole overharvesting restricted Reforestation are frequently not accounted statistics, highlighting limitations these data. Combating transitioning towards sustainable forestry requires better monitoring up-to-date accounting resources, elsewhere Europe, sensing can be key technology achieve goals.