Mapping the distribution and tree canopy cover of Jacaranda mimosifolia and Platanus × acerifolia in Johannesburg’s urban forest

This study investigated the distribution and the tree canopy cover (TCC) of the two most prominent street trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia and Platanus × acerifolia) in Johannesburg, using the multispectral SPOT 6 satellite data and field survey GPS points. The importance of the spectral bands (Blue, Green, Red and NIR) and the NDVI index in discriminating between the tree species was quantified using five separability indices (Divergence, Bhattacharyya, Transformed Divergence, Jeffries-Matusita and M-statistic). The visual comparison of the Blue band and the NDVI histograms between the two species and other vegetation type showed the lowest feature overlap, suggesting the highest separability between paired classes. This was further supported by the highest Divergence value for the Blue band (3.68) and NDVI index (2.48) followed by the M-statistic (0.8 and 0.73, respectively) indicating good to moderate separability between the two species, respectively. The results were also consistent with the RF classification where the Blue band and NDVI index were the most important variables for the discrimination between the two species with an overall accuracy of 88% (kappa = 8). The TCC of J. mimosifolia and P. × acerifolia constituted 38% of the total vegetation cover in the city. These findings not only would help prioritize the increase of targeted vegetation cover in low cover areas, but will also provide a valuable information for assessment and protection of vulnerable species such as P. × acerifolia from the threat of the polyphagous shot hole borer, Euwallacea fornicatus in Johannesburg.