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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2019, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (4): 108-121.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20190411

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Forest Height Growth Monitoring of Cunninghamia lanceolata Plantation Using Multi-Temporal Aerial Photography with the Support of High Accuracy DEM

Xia Yongjie1, Pang Yong1, Liu Luxia1,2, Chen Bowei1, Dong Bin3, Huang Qingfeng2   

  1. 1. Research Institute of Forestry Resource Information Technigues, CAF Beijing 100091;
    2. School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University Hefei 230036;
    3. School of Science, Anhui Agricultural University Hefei 230036
  • Received:2017-03-28 Revised:2017-11-28 Online:2019-04-25 Published:2019-04-30

Abstract: [Objective] This study integrated multi-temporal aerial photographs and DEM derived from airborne LiDAR data to calculate the forest canopy height of Cunninghamia lanceolata and monitor the variation of growth quantitatively.[Method] First of all, high accuracy digital elevation model beneath canopy and forestry digital surface model were constructed based on classified LiDAR point cloud data. Digital surface models were then created by applying an automated stereo-matching algorithm to the scanning copy of aerial photographs. These multi-temporal canopy heights were obtained by subtracting the LiDAR ground elevations from the two kinds of DSM. Using historical aerial photographs of 1996, 2004 and digital aerial photographs, LiDAR data of 2014, multi-temporal CHMs were reconstructed within a period of 18 years, and the accuracy was evaluated and analyzed.[Result] 1) The R2 between the canopy height models acquired by LiDAR data and corresponding digital aerial photographs in 2014 is 0.52, and the root mean square error is 1.79 m. 2) Compared with the measurements from field plots, our data showed an accuracy of 85.00% with mean absolute errorand mean relative error of 1.59 m and 15.00%, and the maximum absolute error and maximum relative error of 3.45 m and 30.80% respectively. 3) Combined with the aerial photos of year 1996, 2004 and 2014, these multi-temporal canopy height models of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation have a similar growth trend to the predicted growth curve.[Conclusion] Based on the results, utilizing aerial photographs can characterize the variation of canopy height in the sunny slope of mountainous terrain. However, for forests located in the valley bottom, the canopy height would be under estimated with aerial photographs. Multi-temporal aerial photographs combining with the high accuracy DEM can reflect the variation of overstory's height, which provide the possibility for monitoring the forest's growth trend and access the forest's productivity.

Key words: historical aerial photographs, dense matching, LiDAR, DEM, DSM, CHM, growth monitoring

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