carried out an intensive survey of land-use and land-cover change in
our study area, to account for impact of afforestation on people's perceptions
of changes in ecosystem services. We used remote sensing,
geographical information systems (GIS), the Stora Enso GIS and statistical
database, statistical analyses, a survey of the literature, and
local population interviews to build up a comprehensive database of
land-use and landscape changes for purposes of ecosystem service
analysis. We used Landsat TM satellite images from the years 1987,
1999, and 2005, which have a grid size of 30×30 m. Plantations can
be identified from satellite images just 2 years after planting. Attribute
layers of plantation statistics from 1978 until the end of 2008
were used to calculate land cover proportions and rates of land-use
change. The satellite images were corrected and analyzed using the
ERDAS software (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
USA). Finally, we extended the time frame of the GIS analysis with
the most recent information on plantations planned by Stora Enso
down to the end of 2010. Thus we were able to study overall land
cover changes over a period of 20 years, and plantation areas over a
period of 30 years.