The role of forests to sequester carbon is considered an important strategy for mitigating climate change and achieving net zero emissions. However, forests in North Korea have continued to be cleared since the 1990s due to the lack of food and energy resources. Deforestation in this country has not been accurately classified nor consistently reported because of the characteristics of small patches. This study precisely determined the area of deforested land in North Korea through the vegetation phenological classification using high-resolution satellite imagery and deep learning algorithms. Effective afforestation target sites in North Korea were identified with priority grade. The U-Net deep learning algorithm and time-series Sentinel-2 satellite images were applied to phenological classification; the results reflected the small patch-like characteristics of deforestation in North Korea. Based on the phenological classification, the land cover of the country was classified with an accuracy of 84.6%; this included 2.6 million ha of unstocked forest and reclaimed forest. Sites for afforestation were prioritized into five grades based on deforested characteristics, altitude and slope. Forest area is expanded and the forest ecosystem is restored through successful afforestation, this may improve the overall ecosystem services in North Korea. In the long term, it will be possible to contribute to carbon neutrality and greenhouse gas reduction on the Korean Peninsula level through optimal afforestation by using these outcomes.

中文翻译：

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使用深度学习和 Sentinel-2 卫星的物候分类确定朝鲜的优先造林地点

森林在固碳方面的作用被认为是缓解气候变化和实现净零排放的重要战略。然而，由于缺乏食物和能源，朝鲜的森林自 1990 年代以来一直被砍伐。由于小块的特点，该国的森林砍伐没有准确分类，也没有一致报告。本研究使用高分辨率卫星图像和深度学习算法，通过植被物候分类精确确定了朝鲜的森林砍伐面积。朝鲜的有效造林目标地点被确定为优先级。将U-Net深度学习算法和时序Sentinel-2卫星图像应用于物候分类；结果反映了朝鲜森林砍伐的小块状特征。基于物候分类，全国土地覆盖分类准确率为84.6%；其中包括 260 万公顷的未采伐森林和开垦森林。根据森林砍伐特征、海拔高度和坡度，将造林地点划分为五个等级。通过成功的植树造林扩大了森林面积，恢复了森林生态系统，这可能会改善朝鲜的整体生态系统服务。从长远来看，利用这些成果，通过最佳植树造林可以为朝鲜半岛的碳中和和温室气体减排做出贡献。国家土地覆盖分类准确率为84.6%；其中包括 260 万公顷的未放养森林和开垦森林。根据森林砍伐特征、海拔高度和坡度，将造林地点划分为五个等级。通过成功的植树造林扩大了森林面积，恢复了森林生态系统，这可能会改善朝鲜的整体生态系统服务。从长远来看，利用这些成果，通过最佳植树造林可以为朝鲜半岛的碳中和和温室气体减排做出贡献。国家土地覆盖分类准确率为84.6%；其中包括 260 万公顷的未采伐森林和开垦森林。根据森林砍伐特征、海拔高度和坡度，将造林地点划分为五个等级。通过成功的植树造林扩大了森林面积，恢复了森林生态系统，这可能会改善朝鲜的整体生态系统服务。从长远来看，利用这些成果，通过最佳植树造林可以为朝鲜半岛的碳中和和温室气体减排做出贡献。通过成功的植树造林扩大了森林面积，恢复了森林生态系统，这可能会改善朝鲜的整体生态系统服务。从长远来看，利用这些成果，通过最佳植树造林可以为朝鲜半岛的碳中和和温室气体减排做出贡献。通过成功的植树造林扩大了森林面积，恢复了森林生态系统，这可能会改善朝鲜的整体生态系统服务。从长远来看，利用这些成果，通过最佳植树造林可以为朝鲜半岛的碳中和和温室气体减排做出贡献。