Abstract
LiDAR-derived digital elevation models can reveal road networks located beneath dense forest canopy. This study tests the accuracy of forest road characteristics mapped using LiDAR in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. The position, gradient, and total length of a forest haul road were accurately extracted using a 1 m DEM. In comparison to a field-surveyed centerline, the LiDAR-derived road exhibited a positional accuracy of 1.5 m, road grade measurements within 0.53% mean absolute difference, and total road length within 0.2% of the field-surveyed length. Airborne LiDAR can provide thorough and accurate road inventory data to support forest management and watershed assessment activities.
Highlights
Roads are essential for forest management by providing corridors for travel, haul routes for forest products, access for recreation and education, and infrastructure for fire protection
The RMSE for Digital Elevation Model (DEM) elevations was 0.17 m and falls within the range of vertical accuracies reported for forested areas, given the relatively low terrain slopes of the roadbed [20]
High quality Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-derived data were produced in the challenging survey conditions of the densely forested and rugged Santa Cruz Mountains, CA, USA
Summary
Roads are essential for forest management by providing corridors for travel, haul routes for forest products, access for recreation and education, and infrastructure for fire protection. 2010, 2 steep, managed, forest lands, roads are closely scrutinized because of their potential to adversely impact watershed conditions. The production of fine sediment and the enhanced delivery of sediment to stream channels can degrade water quality and impair aquatic habitat. These concerns are important in watersheds that support anadromous fish populations [4]. Given the need to protect aquatic habitat, policies aimed at mitigating the effects of roads continue to shape land management, and forest management practices across many regions [5,6]
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