Estimating Tree Crown Size from Multiresolution Remotely Sensed Imagery

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Citation

Song, Conghe H. & Woodcock, Curtis E. (2003). Estimating Tree Crown Size from Multiresolution Remotely Sensed Imagery. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 69(11), 1263-1270.

Abstract

The spatial arrangement of the brightness values of remotely sensed imagery bears important information for forest canopy structures. This paper presents the theory and a simple analytical model to estimate tree crown size using sills of semivariograms from images at two spatial resolutions. The theoretical basis for the model is that the spatial patterns of multiresolution imagery are diagnostic of tree size. The sills of variograms from images containing larger trees decrease more slowly than those for images containing smaller trees as the image spatial resolution decreases. Tests with generated images, integrated simulation of stand development and its spatial patterns, and Ikonos images show that the model can provide realistic estimates of tree crown size. Errors of the estimated crown size strongly depend on the spatial resolutions of the images. The best combination of spatial resolutions is at the ratio of pixel size to the object size around unity.

URL

http://dx.doi.org//10.14358/PERS.69.11.1263

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2003

Journal Title

Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing

Author(s)

Song, Conghe H.
Woodcock, Curtis E.

ORCiD

Song, C - 0000-0002-4099-4906