Spatial distribution of Eucalyptus plantations in the São Paulo State portion of Paraíba do Sul river basin, Brazil

Abstract

This study assessed the evolution of the area planted to Eucalyptus, by municipality, in São Paulo state in the river basin of the Paraíba do Sul from 2001 to 2007. The methodology of this study involved the identification and mapping of Eucalyptus in 2007 based on the analysis and interpretation of Landsat-5 TM imagery acquired in 2007 using the mapping produced by the Forestry Institute of São Paulo (IF) for the year 2000 as a reference. Thus, a thematic map of the occurrence of Eucalyptus in 2007 was generated and overlaid on the boundaries of the municipalities that occurred in this watershed. Areal estimates of Eucalyptus plantations of each municipality were compared with data from the year 2001 and revealed an increase of 32.2% in the cultivated area in the region up to 2007. The results from 2007 were compared with data from a project LUPA from the Secretary of Agriculture of São Paulo State also from 2007 and it was found a difference of only 1.4%, considering the set of all municipalities.

Keywords

• remote sensing, GIS, land use change