Biomass estimation as a function of vertical forest structure and forest height: potential and limitations for radar remote sensing

Abstract

One common method to estimate biomass is measuring forest height and applying allometric equations to get forest biomass. Conditions like changing forest density or changing forest structure bias the allometric relations or biomass estimation fails completely. Remote sensing systems like SAR or LIDAR allow to measure vertical structure of forests. In this paper it is investigated whether vertical structure is sensitive to biomass. For this purpose vertical biomass profiles were calculated using forest inventory data. Fourier and Legendre decomposition were tested and finally, vertical structure was quantified by decomposing the biomass profiles by means of Legendre polynomials. This is a case study based on inventory data from the Traunstein test site, a temperate mixed forest, located in the South-east of Germany.