Forest parameter mapping based on lidar and SAR data

Vegetation spatial structure including plant height, biomass, vertical and horizontal heterogeneity, is an important factor influencing the exchanges of matter and energy between the landscape and atmosphere, and the biodiversity of ecosystems. Estimation of boreal forest canopy height is an extremely urgent research because it is essential for understanding ecosystems changing by human activities and climate change. Data from lidar and radar contain information relevant to different aspects of the biophysical properties of the vegetation canopy. GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimeter System) and ALOS PALSAR data were used to test the combined use of lidar samplings and radar images for canopy height and stand biomass mapping in our test area. The result showed that maximum tree height and biomass in gLAS footprints can be predicted by GLAS waveform data. By using these sampling data parameters retrieval models using SAR data only can be developed. These models were applied to the entire SAR image, and the results were assessed using large-scale forest inventory data.