High-resolution three-dimensional remote sensing for forest measurement

Abstract

High-resolution, optical, airborne remote sensing systems can capture detailed information on three-dimensional (3D) forest canopy structure. Individual tree biomass, volume, and carbon are highly correlated to tree height, so if individual tree heights can be efficiently measured using high-resolution remote sensing, it significantly reduces the cost of forest inventory and increase the quality of the information available to resource managers. We describe several techniques for the 3D remote sensing of forests. In the first category, we describe how aerial photogrammetric measurements, acquired from overlapping stereo digital imagery, can provide accurate 3D measurements of individual tree crowns. In the second category, we describe airborne laser scanning (LIDAR), which provides a 3D point cloud of laser returns from the forest canopy and underlying terrain.