Vertical forest structure characterization for the estimation of Above Ground Biomass. Potential and limitations for Radar Remote Sensing

One common method to estimate biomass is measuring forest height and applying allometric equations to get forest biomass; however, conditions like changing forest density or forest structure bias the allometric relations. Remote sensing systems like SAR or LIDAR allow to measure vertical structure of forests. In this paper it is investigated whether vertical structure is sensitive to biomass. For this purpose vertical biomass profiles are calculated using forest inventory data. A structure descriptor based on Legendre polynomials is tested, a biomass inversion based on vertical structure is proposed and the influences of the horizontal integration area and impacts of forest dynamics are studied. This is a case study based on inventory data from the Traunstein test site, a temperate mixed forest, located in the southeast of Germany.