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Estimation of foliar and woody biomass using an airborne lidar system

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7262456
The NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar was flown over forested terrain at two sites, producing a digital measurement of the canopy profile. The primary site was International Paper Corporation's Southlands Experimental Forest near Bainbridge, Georgia. The secondary site was the Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant near Aikens, South Carolina. Both sites are located on the southern coastal plain, and contain areas typical of both managed and unmanaged stands of southern pines. Concurrently acquired aerial photography and aircraft inertial-navigation-system data permitted precise location of the laser's track on the ground. While three laser pulsing rates were used in data collection, no significant effects to forest canopy profile area measurement were detected due to this factor. Resulting equations can be used in predicting forest biomass and timber volume at different sites with similar species composition and site conditions. Any stand level estimation precision can be achieved through the employment of sufficient sampling intensity. Recommendations for future lidar studies of forest canopies are given and potential applications merging lidar data with satellite imagery are discussed.
Research Organization:
Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (USA)
OSTI ID:
7262456
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English