Remote Sensing for Forest Inventory and Resource Assessment

Abstract

AbstractThere are multiple purposes of conducting forest inventories and forest resource assessment. One of them is to serve as information on the development of forest planning and management strategy which requires gathering of data about forest resources at the national level for the development of strategic policy. In order to characterise accurately both quantity and quality of the forest resources, enhanced information is required. Remote sensing technology offers potential gains in inventory efficiency based on its ability to quantitatively characterise stand canopies through spectral reflectance. Also, the frequency with which remote sensing data are acquired, and the availability of data for extensive areas, increases the attractiveness of these data for inventory purposes. For example, visible, near-, and mid-infrared radiance measurements, which are routinely available from the optical remotely sensed imagery, could be related to forest parameters and stand attributes such as biomass, basal area, diameter, stand age, and wood volume. The need for effective inventories for forest resources is the impetus for this chapter into reviewing traditional methods of ground-based surveys with information from satellite remote sensing. In addition, this chapter discusses the development of remote sensing sensors, which include their characteristics, applications, current practices, and future development of the remote sensor.KeywordsRemote sensingForest inventorySampling design