Estimation of Forest Area and Canopy Cover Based on Visual Interpretation of Satellite Images in Ethiopia  
[PERSON]  
1 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.A. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.O.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (E.N. )1 Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. )1 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.A. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.O.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (E.N. )1 Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. )1 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.A. );  
hans.ole.orka@mbmbu. the forest cover of Ethiopia was reported to be more than 30-40% of the area [10; 11]. However, the origin of this number is uncertain, and the amount itself is questionable [12]. Either way, there has been severe deforestation and forest degradation in the country the last century [11; 12; 13; 14]. The pressure to convert forests into land for food production to support the increasing human population and provide socio-economic benefits to the nature-based livelihoods of the majority of the people has been huge. The use of wood for fuel has also aggravated the rate of deforestation [10; 11]. Ethiopia is currently in the process of implementing REDD+, and one of the prerequisites for implementing the REDD+ mechanism is to develop a robust measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Good Practice Guidelines [15]. Information about forest area and canopy cover are required for a MRV system in the REDD+ process and sustainable forest management practices. Forest area is the proportion of an area that is covered with trees and other perennial components of a forest land. The definition of forest varies among countries, the contexts of institutions, and of course the purpose [16]. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines forest as land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 m and a canopy cover of more than 10%, or trees that are able to reach these thresholds in situ [17]. In Ethiopia, the working definition of forest describes it as any land spanning at least 0.5 hectares covered by trees (including bamboo) attaining a height of at least 2 m and a canopy cover of at least 20%, or trees with the potential to reach these thresholds in situ in due course. Canopy cover is the proportion of the forest floor covered by the vertical projection of the tree crowns [15; 18; 19]. Canopy cover plays a significant role in forest management for various decisions related to silviculture and the utilization of the forests [20]. In REDD+, developing countries rehabilitate and preserve their forests, and in turn get paid for the extra amount of CO\({}_{2}\) sequestered beyond a certain agreed level following MRV after their commitment [21]. The REDD+ system, of course, requires accurate measurement and estimation methods to be carried out through a properly established MRV system [22]. In the course of quantifying the amount of CO\({}_{2}\) by sink and source, reliable forest area and canopy cover estimations are key attributes [15; 23]. However, according to the IPCC, information on forest area and deforestation in tropical countries is highly uncertain, often up to 50% of error [24]. This is because tropical countries are constrained by a lack of technical capacity and lack of both trained human power as well as infrastructure.