article id 692,
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                        Research article
                    
        
                                    
                                    
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                            The study area consists of the Finnish part of a Landsat 5 TM image from  1990. Three independent field samples were measured during 1991–93 in  the study area. The first sample was used to compile training areas for  supervised maximum likelihood classification of the image.  Classification accuracy was studied in the second sample. The spectral  separability of the forest strata usable in practical forestry was poor.  The extent of the damage area was estimated by the principle of  stratified sampling. The estimate included considerable bias because the  field sample had not been objectively selected from the image classes.  The third field sample was measured as part of the National Forest  Inventory of Finland. It is wholly objective, and about ten times larger  than the two earlier field samples. The poor spectral separability of  the forest strata was confirmed by the NFI sample. However, this sample  could be used in stratified sampling with little or no bias in the  estimation of the damage area estimate. 14 different damage types were  separated according to specific damaging agent. A thematic map was  produced which presents the spatial distribution of two damage-rich  image classes. The study area comprises 18 300 sq.km, of which 38% were  damaged. At first sight it would appear that the proportion of damaged  forest has tripled in ten years. However, this is not the case because  now special attention was paid to forest health in the field work.  Despite this, it is possible that some damage caused by unfavourable  climatic phenomena in the ’80s was still perceptible in 1993. No damage  caused directly by air pollution has yet been verified in the study  area.
                        
                
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                            Mattila,
                            Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Station, P.O. Box 68, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            eero.mattila@metla.fi
                                                                                        