ABSTRACT
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a revolutionary remote sensing technology for vegetation mapping. The information extraction methods for LiDAR applications in forests can be broadly classified into two categories: individual tree based and area-based. This chapter introduces several topics on LiDAR applications in forest studies, including canopy surface height modeling and mapping; LiDAR metrics for vegetation modeling; individual tree isolation and mapping; area-based modeling and mapping; and modeling, mapping, and estimating biomass. It discusses two step-by-step projects which are designed in ArcGIS for extracting canopy heights from leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR data in Susquehanna Shale Hills, PA, USA, and identifying disturbances from hurricanes and lightning strikes to mangrove forests using LiDAR data in Everglades National Park, FL, USA. Even for vegetation height, the LiDAR measurements are point-based while field-based measurements are tree-based. The chapter introduces the grid- and point-based tree isolation algorithms, respectively, and discusses their strengths and weaknesses.
