Forest Canopy Height Estimation from Calipso Lidar Measurement

Abstract

The canopy height is an important parameter in aboveground biomass estimation. Lidar remote sensing from airborne or satellite platforms, has a unique capability for forestry applications. This study introduces an innovative concept to estimate canopy height using CALIOP two wavelengths lidar measurements. One main advantage is that the concept proposed here is dependent on the penetration depths at two wavelengths without making assumption about the last peak of waveform as the ground location, and it does not require the ancillary Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data in order to obtain the slope information of terrain. Canopy penetration depths at two wavelengths indicate moderately strong relationships for estimating the canopy height. Results show that the CALIOP-derived canopy heights were highly correlated with the ICESat/GLAS-derived values with a mean RMSE of 3.4 m and correlation coefficient (R) of 0.89. Our findings present a relationship between the penetration difference and canopy height, which can be used as another metrics for canopy height estimation, except the full waveforms.