Data from small and large footprint lidar systems were used to derive basic forest attributes from old-growth Douglas fir/western hemlock dominated stands at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the Pacific Northwest of United Sates. The derived forest attributes include canopy height and canopy closure. The crown depth estimates were made from the large footprint dataset. The study provides the unique opportunity to compare basic forest attributes derived from small and large footprint lidar systems, and also demonstrates the significance of complimentary analysis of data from different lidar systems in providing expanded information on forest structure. Results of the analysis showed a high degree of agreement between the canopy height estimates from both lidar systems

Date Published: 27 September 2006
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 6298, Remote Sensing and Modeling of Ecosystems for Sustainability III, 629803 (27 September 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.681034

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6298:
Remote Sensing and Modeling of Ecosystems for Sustainability III
Wei Gao; Susan L. Ustin, Editor(s)