An Investigation of the Forests of Pernik Province (Western Bulgaria) by the Use of the Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI)

Abstract The current research represents a pilot study for application of the Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI) for an area with forests in Bulgaria. It is the first of its kind when it comes to forest studying in the country to the best knowledge of the author. When it comes to soil background Landsat images and other spectral data may be used for monitoring forest territories as well. The study area is Pernik Province which is located in the western parts of Bulgaria. The main aim is to investigate the PVI for the forests of Pernik Province. The index has been calculated by the application of Landsat 8 bands. The PVI has been processed for several months of different years. The main focus is both on the beginning and the end of the growing season when there are significant changes in leaf biomass. The results are promising and show typical vegetation features in the beginning of the growing season (April), a well-developed vegetation (July) and a steadily decreasing biomass in November.