Chapter 8 - Estimation of Forest Functional Attributes

Abstract

Forest ecosystems, one of the most important components of the terrestrial biosphere, account for approximately 70% of terrestrial ecosystem net productivity. Their role in regulating the carbon cycle and mitigating global climate change is irreplaceable. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has tremendous advantages over traditional forest surveys in extracting three-dimensional forest structural attributes such as vertical foliage profile, tree height, and crown size and forest functional attributes such as canopy cover, leaf area index, and biomass. This chapter introduces the principles, methods, and applications of LiDAR for extracting those functional attributes of forest ecosystems, as well as tree species classification using LiDAR data. These functional attributes are critical for forest ecosystem studies and various applications.