Canopy cover estimation of agroforestry based on airborne LiDAR and Landsat 8 OLI

Abstract

Agroforestry/mixed gardens is a land management system that combines agricultural, livestock production with tree to obtain various products in a sustainable manner so as to increase social, economic and environmental benefits This system can be a form of mitigation and adaptation to global climate change, especially in areas with high population densities, but with less agricultural labor, such as in urban fringe area. Based on the formal definition of forests from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia based on canopy cover, agroforestry might be considered as forest, whereas the canopy cover >30%. The research aim to estimate canopy cover base on integration of Lidar and Landsat 8 OLI of agroforestry in the Cidanau watershed. The most suitable equation model is an exponential equation (FRCI = 22.928e (-80.439 * 'RED')), however, some underestimation in high canopy cover ( >70%) and underestimation in low canopy cover (< 60%) should be anticipated. The result showed that agroforestry in some location have canopy cover greater than 30% and therefore it can be considered as a forest.