Identifying the effective factors on reducing the forest cover using Landsat images (case study: Bivareh forest- Malekshahi County)

Reducing forest areas and turns it to pasture، agricultural، urban and rural areas is performed each year that it makes great damages in natural resources in a wide range. Bivareh forests located in Malakshahi city، Ilam province، from 1988 to 2007 using multiple linear regression was selected in order to identify the affective factors on reducing the forest cover. A multiple regression perfectly enables to explain the relationship between reducing the forest cover (dependent variable) and its influencing factors (independent variables). In this study، Landsat TM data of 1988 and Landsat ETM+ data of 2007 were analyzed and classified to investigate the changes in forest cover. Studied images were classified in two classes of forest and non-forest covers and also forest map with spatial variables of physiography and human were analyzed by regression equation. Satellite images showed that during the studied period there was found a reduction of forest areas up to approximately 257. 11 ha. The results of regression analysis indicated that the linear combination of above sea level، distance from road and slope direction with determined coefficient 0. 3889 as independent variables were capable to estimating the reduction of forest area. The results of this study can be used as an efficient tool for managing and improving forests regarding to physiographical and human characteristics.