| Abstrakt: |
During the rainstorm of March 11-12, 2020, unusual wind caused heavy damage to the KKL-JNF forests, which manifested itself in the breaking and uprooting of many trees throughout the Lakhish area and south to the entrance to Be'er Sheva. This study deals with an extreme event that is expected to occur more frequently in our region as part of climate change. The project focuses on the Amatsiya and Shaharia forests, where most of the damage was concentrated. Following the storm, KKL-JNF wardens conducted a ground and aerial survey to inspect, map and photograph the areas where the trees had fallen. At the same time, scientists at Ben-Gurion University's Remote Sensing Laboratory at the Sde Boker Campus analyzed the event using drone photographs, LiDAR, satellite images, meteorological data, and planting date data. The findings in the Amatsiya Forest show agreement between the wind direction during the night of the storm and the direction of the fall. However, no significant correlation was found between tree density, topographic aspect, slope, and the number of trees that fell. The probable explanation for the extent of the damage in the Amatsiya Forest is, apparently, a combination of strong winds on the night of the storm with high soil moisture due to the heavy rains that fell in the area in January, February, and March. In the Shaharia forest, on the other hand, there was agreement between the number of trees that fell and the slope aspects. Therefore, it can be concluded that in Shaharia, more trees fell on southeast-facing slopes and in areas with sparse tree density. Our conclusion is that remote sensing methods using drones, LiDAR, and satellite imagery (VENμS) can effectively map storm damage and accurately characterize spatial variables associated with damaged trees. A combination of topographic and meteorological data made it possible to assess the factors that caused these damages. Moreover, the study results show that from now on, the windstorm factor should be considered when monitoring forest systems managed by KKL-JNF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
