Remote Sensing Measurements of Forest Structure Types for Ecosystem Service Mapping

Abstract

Forests represent an important pool in the global carbon cycle. However, biomass stocks and carbon fluxes are variable due to the fact that forest dynamics are driven by processes that act on different spatial and temporal scales. Estimating forest biomass and productivity for larger regions is therefore a major challenge. In this study, horizontal and vertical forest structure is used to improve forest ecosystem service mapping by remote sensing. By linking remote sensing techniques with vegetation modelling (here FORMIND) and forest inventories, forest structure maps were derived for Germany (resolution 4 km). Using these maps, the role of forest structure for selected ecosystem services of forests has been investigated. For forest state estimations (like biomass) horizontal forest structure plays a key role while for productivity estimations both horizontal and vertical structures are relevant. This concept of forest structure classification in combination with forest modelling and remote sensing has high potential for applications at continental scales as future remote sensing missions will provide information on forest structure.