LiDAR Waveform-based Woody and Foliar Biomass Estimation in Savanna Environments

Assessment and management of ecosystem biomass accumulation typically involves extensive field data collection, which includes parameters such as foliar area, stem diameter, woody biomass measurement, etc. The acquisition of these data can be expensive and time consuming, while leaving the user with relatively crude values for modeling intricate dependent variables, e.g., woody and foliar biomass, volume, etc. The application of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology in forestry has become an effective approach to facilitate in-field measurement and vegetation characterization. In this paper, we propose to develop signal processing approaches and applications for tree and foliar biomass estimation using a new generation of airborne laser scanners, namely full-waveform LiDAR systems. Structural and statistics-based metrics were directly derived from LiDAR waveforms at the individual tree level and related to field-measured data. Results exhibited a high correlation between the waveformderived metrics and field data, including tree height and foliar and woody biomass in the savanna study area.