Exotic forest clear-fell mapping from the New Zealand PACRIM-2 mission

The all weather imaging ability of SAR has real benefits in maintaining detailed forest inventories.. However, previous work has indicated that even clear-fell detection is not always straightforward using C-band radar. Backscatter from bare ground can vary considerably with environmental conditions. This paper takes an initial look at the PACRIM-2 study of Kaingaroa Forest which aims to better understand these problems and provide solutions. While bare ground and even tree species can be distinguished visually, the detailed analysis of the statistics still indicate difficulties and not all the results are consistent with a previous study. An anomalous dip in the near-range C-band vertical response has been noted, which may be affecting the statistics. A change in the polarization response was seen for two artificially wetted areas, which may help define better classification strategies.