Small-footprint Airborne LiDAR Research Articles

Post-Logging Canopy Gap Dynamics and Forest Regeneration Assessed Using Airborne LiDAR Time Series in the Brazilian Amazon with Attribution to Gap Types and Origins

Gaps are openings within tropical forest canopies created by natural or anthropogenic disturbances. Important aspects of gap dynamics that are not well understood include how gaps close over time and their potential for contagiousness, indicating whether the presence of gaps may or may not induce the creation of new gaps. This is especially important when we consider disturbances from selective logging activities in rainforests, which take away large trees of high commercial value and leave behind a forest full of gaps. The goal of this study was to quantify and understand how gaps open and close over time within tropical rainforests using a time series of airborne LiDAR data, attributing observed processes to gap types and origins. For this purpose, the Jamari National Forest located in the Brazilian Amazon was chosen as the study area because of the unique availability of multi-temporal small-footprint airborne LiDAR data covering the time period of 2011–2017 with five data acquisitions, alongside the geolocation of trees that were felled by selective logging activities. We found an increased likelihood of natural new gaps opening closer to pre-existing gaps associated with felled tree locations (<20 m distance) rather than farther away from them, suggesting that small-scale disturbances caused by logging, even at a low intensity, may cause a legacy effect of increased mortality over six years after logging due to gap contagiousness. Moreover, gaps were closed at similar annual rates by vertical and lateral ingrowth (16.7% yr−1) and about 90% of the original gap area was closed at six years post-disturbance. Therefore, the relative contribution of lateral and vertical growth for gap closure was similar when consolidated over time. We highlight that aboveground biomass or carbon density of logged forests can be overestimated if considering only top of the canopy height metrics due to fast lateral ingrowth of neighboring trees, especially in the first two years of regeneration where 26% of gaps were closed solely by lateral ingrowth, which would not translate to 26% of regeneration of forest biomass. Trees inside gaps grew 2.2 times faster (1.5 m yr−1) than trees at the surrounding non-gap canopy (0.7 m yr−1). Our study brings new insights into the processes of both the opening and closure of forest gaps within tropical forests and the importance of considering gap types and origins in this analysis. Moreover, it demonstrates the capability of airborne LiDAR multi-temporal data in effectively characterizing the impacts of forest degradation and subsequent recovery.

Modeling forest canopy surface retrievals using very high-resolution spaceborne stereogrammetry: (I) methods and comparisons with actual data

The capability of spaceborne stereogrammetry using very high-resolution (VHR, <2 m) imagery with various environmental, experimental, and sensor configurations for characterizing forest canopy surfaces has not been completely explored. Existing archives of VHR imagery include a limited subset of potential stereo image acquisition configurations and may therefore exclude optimal configurations for capturing critical structural features of forest canopy surface. By contrast, simulated VHR imagery from 3-D radiative transfer models (RTM) can explore the full range of spatial, spectral, and sun-sensor configurations to identify factors that contribute to uncertainties in stereo-derived estimates of forest canopy structure. We developed a novel method to simulate VHR stereopairs using the discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model and then derive surface elevations from the simulated images. We reconstructed one open-canopy and one closed-canopy forest scene and created a reference digital surface model/digital terrain model (DSM/DTM) using airborne small-footprint lidar points over the study sites. The VHR simulations were configured to match three independent WorldView stereopairs. The results showed that, compared to the reference DSM, the surface elevations derived using simulated and WorldView image data were consistent, with differences of <1.6 m in vertical bias, < 1 m in root mean square error (RMSE), and < 0.07 in correlation coefficient (R). We demonstrated that realistic 3-D RTM simulations could be georeferenced with a camera model for DSM generation from simulated stereopairs. This work will support a follow-up investigation that examines stereo-derived DSM quality over a broad range of surface types and acquisition parameters to suggest optimal configurations for actual VHR stereo data acquisition of vegetation canopy surfaces.

Patterns of regional site index across a North American boreal forest gradient

Forest structure—the height, cover, vertical complexity, and spatial patterns of trees—is a key indicator of productivity variation across forested extents. During the 2017 and 2019 growing seasons, NASA’s Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment collected full-waveform airborne LiDAR using the land, vegetation and imaging sensor, sampling boreal and tundra landscapes across a variety of ecological regions from central Canada westward through Alaska. Here, we compile and archive a geo-referenced gridded suite of these data that include vertical structure estimates and novel horizontal cover estimates of vegetation canopy cover derived from vegetation’s vertical LiDAR profile. We validate these gridded estimates with small footprint airborne LiDAR, and link >36 million of them with stand age estimates from a Landsat time-series of tree-canopy cover that we confirm with plot-level disturbance year data. We quantify the regional magnitude and variability in site index, the age-dependent rates of forest growth, across 15 boreal ecoregions in North America. With this open archive suite of forest structure data linked to stand age, we bound current forest productivity estimates across a boreal structure gradient whose response to key bioclimatic drivers may change with stand age. These results, derived from a reduction of a large archive of airborne LiDAR and a Landsat time series, quantify forest productivity bounds for input into forest and ecosystem growth models, to update forecasts of changes in North America’s boreal forests by improving the regional parametrization of forest growth rates.

Harnessing data assimilation and spatial autocorrelation for forest inventory

Spatially explicit uncertainties in forest above-ground biomass predictions for population units are underestimated if spatial structure in the form of residual spatial autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity is ignored. Methods that consider the spatial structure of biomass model residuals are needed to comprehensively estimate, as well as to effectively reduce, the uncertainty in biomass predictions, for pursuing higher levels of precision for measurement, reporting and verification of forest carbon stocks. The objectives of the study were threefold: (1) to demonstrate a spatial data assimilation (DA) procedure that harnesses small-footprint airborne LiDAR, the best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) and the spatial structure of biomass model residuals to reduce prediction variances of individual tree biomass and plot-level biomass density; (2) to derive a variance estimator that decomposes the variance into components associated with corresponding error sources; and (3) to compare prediction variances for three methods used to calibrate a height-based allometric model for tree biomass: ordinary least squares (OLS), generalized least squares (GLS), and spatial DA using the BLUP. Five major conclusions are drawn. First, for individual tree biomass predictions, spatial DA decreased prediction variance by 40% and 20% relative to OLS and GLS. Because the decrease in residual variability accounted for 98% of the decrease in prediction variance in total, the assimilation effect was the largest for reducing residual variability. Second, for biomass density predictions, DA decreased prediction variance by 3% and 49% relative to OLS and GLS, with the largest decrease in residual covariance. Accumulated gain in precision for individual tree predictions in the DA procedure was offset by precision loss caused by residual covariance and the variance associated with omission and commission errors while predicting individual tree biomass from the LiDAR data. Third, OLS, which assumed no spatial structure, underestimated prediction variance for LiDAR-predicted biomass density by 48%. Fourth, from the perspective of prediction accuracy, DA reduced the RMSE for individual tree biomass predictions by 11% and 14% and reduced the RMSE for biomass density predictions by 28% and 33% relative to OLS and GLS. Fifth, the omission/commission difference model was effective for correcting the systematic prediction error in the LiDAR-predicted biomass density. Overall, the proposed spatial DA procedure demonstrated great potential for reducing the uncertainty in forest biomass predictions, thereby facilitating more efficient biomass inventories. The procedure can be generalized to other dependent variables of interest given their correlations with new information from LiDAR.

Airborne and Spaceborne Lidar Reveal Trends and Patterns of Functional Diversity in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem

Assessing functional diversity and its abiotic controls at continuous spatial scales are crucial to understanding changes in ecosystem processes and services. Semi-arid ecosystems cover large portions of the global terrestrial surface and provide carbon cycling, habitat, and biodiversity, among other important ecosystem processes and services. Yet, the spatial trends and patterns of functional diversity in semi-arid ecosystems and their abiotic controls are unclear. The objectives of this study are two-fold. We evaluated the spatial pattern of functional diversity as estimated from small footprint airborne lidar (ALS) with respect to abiotic controls and fire in a semi-arid ecosystem. Secondly, we used our results to understand the capabilities of large footprint spaceborne lidar (GEDI) for future applications to semi-arid ecosystems. Overall, our findings revealed that functional diversity in this ecosystem is mainly governed by elevation, soil, and water availability. In burned areas, the ALS data show a trend of functional recovery with time since fire. With 16 months of data (April 2019-August 2020), GEDI predicted functional traits showed a moderate correlation (r = 41–61%) with the ALS predicted traits except for the plant area index (PAI) (r = 11%) of low height vegetation (&amp;lt;5 m). We found that the number of GEDI footprints relative to the size of the fire-disturbed areas (=&amp;lt; 2 km2) limited the ability to estimate the full effects of fire disturbance. However, the consistency of diversity trends between ALS and GEDI across our study area demonstrates GEDI’s potential of capturing functional diversity in similar semi-arid ecosystems. The capability of spaceborne lidar to map trends and patterns of functional diversity in this semi-arid ecosystem demonstrates its exciting potential to identify critical biophysical and ecological shifts. Furthermore, opportunities to fuse GEDI with complementary spaceborne data such as ICESat-2 or the upcoming NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), and fine scale airborne data will allow us to fill gaps across space and time. For the first time, we have the potential to monitor carbon cycle dynamics, habitats and biodiversity across the globe in semi-arid ecosystems at fine vertical scales.

Potential of Forest Parameter Estimation Using Metrics from Photon Counting LiDAR Data in Howland Research Forest

ICESat-2 is the new generation of NASA’s ICESat (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) mission launched in September 2018. We investigate the potential of forest parameter estimation using metrics from photon counting LiDAR data, using an integrated dataset including photon counting LiDAR data from SIMPL (the Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting LiDAR), airborne small footprint LiDAR data from G-LiHT and a stem map in Howland Research Forest, USA. First, we propose a noise filtering method based on a local outlier factor (LOF) with elliptical search area to separate the ground and canopy surfaces from noise photons. Next, a co-registration technique based on moving profiling is applied between SIMPL and G-LiHT data to correct geolocation error. Then, we calculate height metrics from both SIMPL and G-LiHT. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the two sets of metrics, using a stem map from field measurement to validate the results. Results of the ground and canopy surface extraction show that our methods can detect the potential signal photons effectively from a quite high noise rate environment in relatively rough terrain. In addition, results from co-registration between SIMPL and G-LiHT data indicate that the moving profiling technique to correct the geolocation error between these two datasets achieves favorable results from both visual and statistical indicators validated by the stem map. Tree height retrieval using SIMPL showed error of less than 3 m. We find good consistency between the metrics derived from the photon counting LiDAR from SIMPL and airborne small footprint LiDAR from G-LiHT, especially for those metrics related to the mean tree height and forest fraction cover, with mean R 2 value of 0.54 and 0.6 respectively. The quantitative analyses and validation with field measurements prove that these metrics can describe the relevant forest parameters and contribute to possible operational products from ICESat-2.

Towards high throughput assessment of canopy dynamics: The estimation of leaf area structure in Amazonian forests with multitemporal multi-sensor airborne lidar

Abstracts Leaf area dynamics offer information about changes in forest biomass and canopy function critical to understanding the role of forests in the climate system and carbon cycle. Airborne small footprint lidar is a potential major source for the detection of variation in leaf area density (LAD), LAD vertical profiles, and total leaf area (leaf area index, LAI), from sites to regional scales. However, the sensitivities of lidar-based LAD and LAI estimation are not yet well known, particularly in dense forests, over landscape heterogeneity, sensor system, and survey differences, and through time. To address these questions, we compared 16 pairs of multitemporal airborne lidar surveys with four different laser sensors across six Amazon forest sites with resurvey intervals ranging from one to nine years. We tested whether the different laser sensors, and the pulse return density of laser sampling (variable between and within each survey) introduce systematic biases. Laser sensors created consistent biases that accounted for up to 18.20% of LAD differences between surveys, but biases could be corrected with a simple regression approach. Lidar pulse return density had little appreciable bias impact when above 20 returns per m2. After correction, repeated mean and site maximum LAI estimates became significantly correlated (R2 ~0.8), while LAD profiles revealed site differences. Heterogeneity and change in LAD structure were detectable at the ecologically relevant 1/4 ha forest neighborhood grid scale, as evidenced by the high correlation of profile variation between surveys, with the strength of correlation (R2 value) significantly decreasing with increasing survey interval (0.74 to 0.16 from one to nine years), consistent with accumulating effects of forest dynamics. Sensor-induced biases trended towards correlation with lidar footprint (beam width). The LAD estimation and bias correction approach developed in this study provides the standardization critical for heterogeneous lidar networks that offer high throughput functional ecological monitoring of climatically important forests like the Amazon.

Quantification of uncertainty in aboveground biomass estimates derived from small-footprint airborne LiDAR

To address uncertainty in biomass estimates across spatial scales, we determined aboveground biomass (AGB) in Californian forests through the use of individual tree detection methods applied to small-footprint airborne LiDAR. We propagated errors originating from a generalized allometric equation, LiDAR measurements, and individual tree detection algorithms to AGB estimates at the tree and plot levels. Larger uncertainties than previously reported at both tree and plot levels were found when AGB was derived from remote sensing. On average, per-tree AGB error was 135% of the estimated AGB, and per-plot error was 214% of the estimated AGB. We found that from tree to plot level, the allometric equation constituted the largest proportion of the total AGB uncertainty. The proportion of the uncertainty associated with remote sensing errors was larger in lower AGB forests, and it decreased as AGB increased. The framework in which we performed the error propagation analysis can be used to address AGB uncertainties in other ecosystems and can be integrated with other analytical techniques.

Estimation of coniferous forest aboveground biomass with aggregated airborne small-footprint LiDAR full-waveforms.

Forest aboveground biomass (AGB) is critical for assessing forest productivity and evaluating carbon sequestration rates. Discrete-return LiDAR has been widely used to estimate forest AGB, however, fewer studies have estimated the coniferous forest AGB using airborne small-footprint full-waveform LiDAR data. The objective of this study was to extract a suite of newly proposed metrics from airborne small-footprint full-waveform LiDAR data and to evaluate the ability of these metrics in estimating coniferous forest AGB. To achieve this goal, each waveform was first preprocessed, including de-noising, smoothing, and normalization. Next, all the waveforms within each plot were aggregated into a large pseudo waveform and the return energy profile was generated. Then, the foliage profile was retrieved from the return energy profile based on the Geometric Optical and Radiative Transfer (GORT) model. Finally, a series of new return energy profile metrics and foliage profile metrics were extracted to estimate forest AGB. Simple linear regression was conducted to assess the correlation between each LiDAR metric and forest AGB. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was then carried out to select important prediction metrics and establish the optimal forest AGB estimation model. Results indicated that both return energy profile and foliage profile based height-related metrics were strongly correlated to forest AGB. The energy weighted canopy height (HEweight) (R = 0.88) and foliage area weighted height (HFweight) (R = 0.89) all had the highest correlation coefficients with forest AGB in return energy profile metrics and foliage profile metrics respectively. Energy height percentiles and foliage height percentiles also had the ability to explain AGB variation. The energy-related metrics, foliage area-related metrics, and bounding volume-related metrics derived from the return energy profile and foliage profile were not all sensitive to forest AGB. This study also concluded that combining return energy profile metrics and foliage profile metrics could improve the accuracy of forest AGB estimation, and the optimal model contained the metrics of HFweight, HEweight, and VolumemaxHE, which is the product of the maximum canopy return energy profile amplitude (maxCE) and the maximum height of return energy profile (maxHE).

Vertical stratification of forest canopy for segmentation of understory trees within small-footprint airborne LiDAR point clouds

Airborne LiDAR point cloud representing a forest contains 3D data, from which vertical stand structure even of understory layers can be derived. This paper presents a tree segmentation approach for multi-story stands that stratifies the point cloud to canopy layers and segments individual tree crowns within each layer using a digital surface model based tree segmentation method. The novelty of the approach is the stratification procedure that separates the point cloud to an overstory and multiple understory tree canopy layers by analyzing vertical distributions of LiDAR points within overlapping locales. The procedure does not make a priori assumptions about the shape and size of the tree crowns and can, independent of the tree segmentation method, be utilized to vertically stratify tree crowns of forest canopies. We applied the proposed approach to the University of Kentucky Robinson Forest – a natural deciduous forest with complex and highly variable terrain and vegetation structure. The segmentation results showed that using the stratification procedure strongly improved detecting understory trees (from 46% to 68%) at the cost of introducing a fair number of over-segmented understory trees (increased from 1% to 16%), while barely affecting the overall segmentation quality of overstory trees. Results of vertical stratification of the canopy showed that the point density of understory canopy layers were suboptimal for performing a reasonable tree segmentation, suggesting that acquiring denser LiDAR point clouds would allow more improvements in segmenting understory trees. As shown by inspecting correlations of the results with forest structure, the segmentation approach is applicable to a variety of forest types.

A scalable approach for tree segmentation within small-footprint airborne LiDAR data

This paper presents a distributed approach that scales up to segment tree crowns within a LiDAR point cloud representing an arbitrarily large forested area. The approach uses a single-processor tree segmentation algorithm as a building block in order to process the data delivered in the shape of tiles in parallel. The distributed processing is performed in a master-slave manner, in which the master maintains the global map of the tiles and coordinates the slaves that segment tree crowns within and across the boundaries of the tiles. A minimal bias was introduced to the number of detected trees because of trees lying across the tile boundaries, which was quantified and adjusted for. Theoretical and experimental analyses of the runtime of the approach revealed a near linear speedup. The estimated number of trees categorized by crown class and the associated error margins as well as the height distribution of the detected trees aligned well with field estimations, verifying that the distributed approach works correctly. The approach enables providing information of individual tree locations and point cloud segments for a forest-level area in a timely manner, which can be used to create detailed remotely sensed forest inventories. Although the approach was presented for tree segmentation within LiDAR point clouds, the idea can also be generalized to scale up processing other big spatial datasets.

Characterizing tufa barrages in relation to channel bed morphology in a small karstic river by airborne LiDAR topo-bathymetry

Freshwater tufas in karstic environments denote an increasingly studied high-resolution terrestrial paleoclimate archive. Tufa morphology is, among other factors, climate-driven and sedimentary facies models are developed to ascribe present day environmental conditions to constrain sedimentary records of paleotufa. Therefore, knowledge about tufa morphology is needed but difficult to obtain due to the complex topo-bathymetry of tufa-bearing channel beds as a consequence of the complex nature of sedimentary processes shaping a patchy transition zone between land and water. Combined airborne small-footprint LiDAR topo-bathymetry (ALTB) is a new emerging remote sensing technique, which is applied here for the first time in a densely forested area to describe the morphology of a small tufa-bearing river (Kaisinger Brunnenbach) near Greding, Bavaria, Germany. We show that sub-metre footprint ALTB captures tufas of maximum total dam heights from 0.3m up to 1.6m. Based on a difference model of the channel bed inclusive tufas and the channel bed exclusive tufas, tufas are obtained as objects allowing the determination of maximum tufa height. Our results document that slope and openness as raster-based morphometric derivatives provide information about tufa orientation and morphology whereas longitudinal slope computed in two different window sizes enable a morphological channel bed characterization as well as the relation of tufa morphology to channel bed morphology. Hence, we demonstrate the suitability of ALTB to capture tufa barrages in a densely forested karstic river and suggest channel bed morphology is a crucial factor controlling tufa deposition and morphology.

A robust approach for tree segmentation in deciduous forests using small-footprint airborne LiDAR data

This paper presents a non-parametric approach for segmenting trees from airborne LiDAR data in deciduous forests. Based on the LiDAR point cloud, the approach collects crown information such as steepness and height on-the-fly to delineate crown boundaries, and most importantly, does not require a priori assumptions of crown shape and size. The approach segments trees iteratively starting from the tallest within a given area to the smallest until all trees have been segmented. To evaluate its performance, the approach was applied to the University of Kentucky Robinson Forest, a deciduous closed-canopy forest with complex terrain and vegetation conditions. The approach identified 94% of dominant and co-dominant trees with a false detection rate of 13%. About 62% of intermediate, overtopped, and dead trees were also detected with a false detection rate of 15%. The overall segmentation accuracy was 77%. Correlations of the segmentation scores of the proposed approach with local terrain and stand metrics was not significant, which is likely an indication of the robustness of the approach as results are not sensitive to the differences in terrain and stand structures.

Evaluation of the similarity in tree community composition in a tropical rainforest using airborne LiDAR data

Human activities in tropical forests, such as logging or shifting cultivation, largely affect forest biodiversity. These disturbances often create small patches of successional vegetation and heterogeneous spatial patterns. Airborne LiDAR can detect small-scale disturbances, which are undetectable by conventional remote sensing. Here, our aim was to evaluate the similarity in community composition of tree assemblages after human disturbances in a tropical rainforest in northern Borneo using small-footprint airborne LiDAR. We derived 16 variables related to the height distribution and canopy characteristics from airborne LiDAR data. The similarity in community composition among plots was calculated using ordination analysis (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) based on the number of trees of each species. LiDAR-derived variables were significantly correlated with the similarity in community composition; the strongest correlation was with the canopy laser penetration rate down to 1-m height above ground (rs = − 0.81, p < 0.001). The predictive model for similarity in community composition developed using the canopy laser penetration rate at 0-m height and the maximum height had R2adj = 0.71 (p < 0.001). We applied this equation to the entire study area and compared the output with the human disturbance histories. A predictive map based on the equation suggested that the similarity in community composition changes in proportion to the degree of human disturbances. Our findings indicate that the similarity attributed to human disturbances in tropical forests can be predicted and monitored by means of airborne LiDAR. This approach could be combined with ground-based monitoring data to map the patterns of biodiversity in tropical rainforest.

Assessing visual green effects of individual urban trees using airborne Lidar data

Urban trees benefit people's daily life in terms of air quality, local climate, recreation and aesthetics. Among these functions, a growing number of studies have been conducted to understand the relationship between residents' preference towards local environments and visual green effects of urban greenery. However, except for on-site photography, there are few quantitative methods to calculate green visibility, especially tree green visibility, from viewers' perspectives.To fill this research gap, a case study was conducted in the city of Cambridge, which has a diversity of tree species, sizes and shapes. Firstly, a photograph-based survey was conducted to approximate the actual value of visual green effects of individual urban trees. In addition, small footprint airborne Lidar (Light detection and ranging) data was employed to measure the size and shape of individual trees. Next, correlations between visual tree green effects and tree structural parameters were examined. Through experiments and gradual refinement, a regression model with satisfactory R2 and limited large errors is proposed. Considering the diversity of sample trees and the result of cross-validation, this model has the potential to be applied to other study sites. This research provides urban planners and decision makers with an innovative method to analyse and evaluate landscape patterns in terms of tree greenness.

Integration of WorldView-2 and airborne LiDAR data for tree species level carbon stock mapping in Kayar Khola watershed, Nepal

Integration of WorldView-2 satellite image with small footprint airborne LiDAR data for estimation of tree carbon at species level has been investigated in tropical forests of Nepal. This research aims to quantify and map carbon stock for dominant tree species in Chitwan district of central Nepal. Object based image analysis and supervised nearest neighbor classification methods were deployed for tree canopy retrieval and species level classification respectively. Initially, six dominant tree species (Shorea robusta, Schima wallichii, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Mallotus philippinensis and Semecarpus anacardium) were able to be identified and mapped through image classification. The result showed a 76% accuracy of segmentation and 1970.99 as best average separability. Tree canopy height model (CHM) was extracted based on LiDAR’s first and last return from an entire study area. On average, a significant correlation coefficient (r) between canopy projection area (CPA) and carbon; height and carbon; and CPA and height were obtained as 0.73, 0.76 and 0.63, respectively for correctly detected trees. Carbon stock model validation results showed regression models being able to explain up to 94%, 78%, 76%, 84% and 78% of variations in carbon estimation for the following tree species: S. robusta, L. parviflora, T. tomentosa, S. wallichii and others (combination of rest tree species).

Acquisition and Recovery of Full-Waveform LIDAR Data Based on Compressive Sensing

The full-waveform technology in the small footprint airborne LIDAR systems has enabled us to sample and record the whole returned waveform of a laser shot. Under most conditions the full-waveform signals satisfy the K-sparse condition and thus can be sampled and recovered using the theory of compressive sensing. This paper proposes a new compressive-sensing-based data acquisition and processing method, by which the returned signals are sampled in small number by a Toeplitz-like matrix, and the target cross sections and the full-waveforms are approximated and recovered by GPRS algorithm. The feasibility of this method is verified by simulated experiments under both ideal conditions and non-ideal conditions with noises. The advantage of this method lies in that requirement for the slew rate of the ADC is lowered, which is convenient for the data storage and transmission .

Above-Ground Biomass and Biomass Components Estimation Using LiDAR Data in a Coniferous Forest

This study aims to estimate forest above-ground biomass and biomass components in a stand of Picea crassifolia (a coniferous tree) located on Qilian Mountain, western China via low density small-footprint airborne LiDAR data. LiDAR points were first classified into ground points and vegetation points. After, vegetation statistics, including height quantiles, mean height, and fractional cover were calculated. Stepwise multiple regression models were used to develop equations that relate the vegetation statistics from field inventory data with field-based estimates of biomass for each sample plot. The results showed that stem, branch, and above-ground biomass may be estimated with relatively higher accuracies; estimates have adjusted R2 values of 0.748, 0.749, and 0.727, respectively, root mean squared error (RMSE) values of 9.876, 1.520, and 15.237 Mg·ha−1, respectively, and relative RMSE values of 12.783%, 12.423%, and 14.163%, respectively. Moreover, fruit and crown biomass may be estimated with relatively high accuracies; estimates have adjusted R2 values of 0.578 and 0.648, respectively, RMSE values of 1.022 and 5.963 Mg·ha−1, respectively, and relative RMSE values of 23.273% and 19.665%, respectively. In contrast, foliage biomass estimates have relatively low accuracies; they had an adjusted R2 value of 0.356, an RMSE of 3.691 Mg·ha−1, and a relative RMSE of 26.953%. Finally, above-ground biomass and biomass component spatial maps were established using stepwise multiple regression equations. These maps are very useful for updating and modifying forest base maps and registries.

Real and simulated waveform-recording LiDAR data in juvenile boreal forest vegetation

Airborne small-footprint LiDAR is replacing field measurements in regional-level forest inventories, but auxiliary fieldwork is still required for the optimal management of young stands. Waveform (WF) -recording sensors can provide a more detailed description of the vegetation than discrete return (DR) systems through accurate characterization of the backscattered signal. Furthermore, knowing the signal shape facilitates comparisons between real data and those obtained with simulation tools. We performed calibration and quantitative validation of a Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT) -based LiDAR simulator against real data, and used simulations and real data to study small-footprint WF-recording LiDAR for the classification of juvenile boreal forest vegetation. The simulations were based on geometric-optical models of three species: birch (Betula pendula Roth), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), and fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub). Simulated WF features were in good agreement with the real data (differences of −19% to 11% in radiometric features, −0.23m to 0.45m in mean height), and relative interspecies differences were preserved. We used simulated data to study the effects of sensor parameters on the classification among the three species. An increase in footprint size improved the classification accuracy up to 0.30–0.36m in diameter, while the emitted pulse width and the WF sampling rate showed minor effects. Finally, we used real data to classify four silviculturally important vegetation functional groups (conifers, broad-leaved trees, low vegetation (green), low vegetation (barren)+abiotic material). Classification accuracies of 68.1–86.7% (kappa 0.50–0.80) showed slight improvement compared with existing studies on DR LiDAR and passive optical data. The results of simulator validation serve as a basis for the future use of simulation models, e.g. in LiDAR survey planning or in the simulation of synthetic training data, while the other findings clarify the potential of small-footprint WF data for characterizing vegetation in intensively managed forest stands at seedling and sapling stages in the boreal region.

REAL AND SIMULATED WAVEFORM RECORDING LIDAR DATA IN BOREAL JUVENILE FOREST VEGETATION

Abstract. Airborne small-footprint LiDAR is replacing field measurements in regional-level forest inventories, but auxiliary field work is still required for the optimal management of young stands. Waveform (WF) recording sensors can provide a more detailed description of the vegetation compared to discrete return (DR) systems. Furthermore, knowing the shape of the signal facilitates comparisons between real data and those obtained with simulation tools. We performed a quantitative validation of a Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT) -based LiDAR simulator against real data and used simulations and empirical data to study the WF recording LiDAR for the classification of boreal juvenile forest vegetation. Geometric-optical models of three common species were used as input for the MCRT model. Simulated radiometric and geometric WF features were in good agreement with the real data, and interspecies differences were preserved. We used the simulator to study the effects of sensor parameters on species classification performance. An increase in footprint size improved the classification accuracy up to a certain footprint size, while the emitted pulse width and the WF sampling rate had minor effects. Analyses on empirical data showed small improvement in performance compared to existing studies, when classifying seedling stand vegetation to four operational classes. The results on simulator validation serve as a basis for the future use of simulation models e.g. in LiDAR survey planning or in the simulation of synthetic training data, while the empirical findings clarify the potential of WF LiDAR data in the inventory chain for the operational forest management planning in Finland.