Potential of the kNN method for estimation and monitoring off-reserve forest resources in Ghana [Elektronische Ressource] / by Christian Kutzer

Potential of the kNN Method for Estimation and Monitoring off-Reserve Forest Resources in Ghana Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Doctor rer. nat. of the Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany by Christian Kutzer Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany 2008 Name of Dean: Prof. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg Name of Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Dieter R. Pelz Name of 2nd Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Barbara Koch Date of thesis defence: 23rd June 2008 Acknowledgements First I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Dieter R. Pelz, director of the Department of Forest Biometry, for accepting me as his student, for his patience, and invaluable advice to complete this study. I am grateful to Tropenbos International for cooperating and supporting fieldwork and data acquisition. I also thank Prof. Dr. Barbara Koch, director of the Department of Remote Sensing and Landscape Information Systems, for taking up the role of co-referent of this study. I am very much indebted to Dr. Francis Bih and his family, with whom I worked and lived during my stay in Ghana. For his extraordinary efforts during fieldwork, I thank Kwame Dankwa. Mr S. K.