FOREST STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS AND GROWING STOCK VOLUME (GSV) RETRIEVAL IN THURINGIA FOREST USING L-BAND POLARIMETRIC RADAR

摘要

There is a correlation between backscatter coefficient of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the retrieval of growing stock volume, GSV. However, it was also recognized that saturation level of the radar backscatter is quickly achieved, despite further increases of GSV. To avoid this effect, polarimetric technique may be one of the solutions to increase the saturation level of GSV. Investigation is initiated by establishing a relationship between GSV and polarimetric phase difference, polarimetric coherence, where sensitivity for forest parameters and saturation level increment are expected. Afterwards polarimetric parameters derived from decomposition techniques will be investigated. The relationship between polarimetric parameters and GSV can be initially described using simple and multiple regression models. L-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data acquired by ALOS-PALSAR sensor over the thousands of forest stands in Thuringia Forest, Germany, have been evaluated for the derivation of forest parameters with focus on GSV. A large set of inventory ground data such as tree age, tree height, tree diameter, different types of species and dominant species of composition, tree volume, relative stocking were measured of these large forest stands.