Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-885-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-885-2026
Review article
 | 
15 Sep 2026
Review article |  | 15 Sep 2026

Post-disturbance soil monitoring in forests using remote sensing: an evidence map

Maisy Roach-Krajewski, Xavier Giroux-Bougard, David Paré, Catlan Dallaire, Luc Guindon, Florian Jordan, Charlotte Norris, Kara Webster, and Jérôme Laganière

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Cited articles

Affek, A. N., Zachwatowicz, M., Sosnowska, A., Gerlée, A., and Kiszka, K.: Impacts of modern mechanised skidding on the natural and cultural heritage of the Polish Carpathian Mountains, Forest Ecol. Manage., 405, 391–403, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2017.09.047, 2017. 
Agbeshie, A. A., Abugre, S., Atta-Darkwa, T., and Awuah, R.: A review of the effects of forest fire on soil properties, J. Forest Res., 33, 1419–1441, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-022-01475-4, 2022. 
Allen, J. L. and Sorbel, B.: Assessing the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio's ability to map burn severity in the boreal forest and tundra ecosystems of Alaska's national parks, Int. J. Wildland Fire, 17, 463–475, https://doi.org/10.1071/WF08034, 2008. 
Baur, M. J., Friend, A. D., and Pellegrini, A. F. A.: Widespread and systematic effects of fire on plant–soil water relations, Nat. Geosci., 17, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01563-6, 2024. 
Beltrán-Marcos, D., Suárez-Seoane, S., Fernández-Guisuraga, J. M., Fernández-García, V., Pinto, R., García-Llamas, P., and Calvo, L.: Mapping soil burn severity at very high spatial resolution from unmanned aerial vehicles, Forests, 12, 179, https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020179, 2021. 
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Short summary
This study reviews how remote sensing is used to monitor forest soil degradation after disturbance. It shows that remote sensing works best when wildfire or harvesting create visible surface change, while monitoring subsurface soil degradation still requires field measurement. Satellite data support large‑scale screening, and laser scanning and photogrammetry detect localized machinery impacts. These findings clarify realistic uses of remote sensing for forest soil monitoring and reporting.
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