The forest biome is vital to the health of the earth. Canada and the United States have a combined forest area of 4.68 Mkm². The monitoring of these forest resources has become increasingly complex. Hyperspectral remote sensing can provide a wealth of improved information products to land managers to make more informed decisions. Research in this area has demonstrated that hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to create more accurate products for forest inventory (major forest species), forest health, foliar biochemistry, biomass, and aboveground carbon. Operationally there is a requirement for a mix of airborne and satellite approaches. This paper surveys some methods and results in hyperspectral sensing of forests and discusses the implications for space initiatives with hyperspectral sensing

Date Published: 28 May 2014
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 9104, Spectral Imaging Sensor Technologies: Innovation Driving Advanced Application Capabilities, 910402 (28 May 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2057637

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9104:
Spectral Imaging Sensor Technologies: Innovation Driving Advanced Application Capabilities
David P. Bannon, Editor(s)