Assessment of forest damage caused by ice storm based on MODIS data-A case study of Jiangxi Province, China

Ice storm as a natural disaster influences the structure, function and dynamics of many forest ecosystems. Between 11 January and 5 February 2008, an unexpected ice storm hit southern China. The objective of this study is to evaluate the damage of subtropical forest from the severe ice storm in Jiangxi Province. The study quantified forest damage by using changes in Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). The result showed a northeast-to-southwest pattern of forest damage in the basin. Results indicated that the ice storm caused EVI abruptly decreased from 0.28 to 0.23. The reduction on EVI by the ice storm is quite similar for mixed broadleaf-conifer forests (0.037) and evergreen broad-leaf forests (0.039) but is the highest for the coniferous forests (0.047). This result suggests that the artificial pure coniferous forests are most vulnerable to the ice storm disturbance.