A Method For Estimating Canopy Openness Effective Leaf Area Index And Photosynthetically Active Photon Flux Density Using Hemispherical Photography And Computerized Image Analysis Techniques

Hemispherical canopy photography is an indirect method for measuring various components of forest canopy structure and solar radiation flux within and below forest canopies. The method utilizes a 180-degree fisheye-lens camera to capture and record the position, size, and shape of openings or gaps in a forest canopy. During late summer 1995, eight sites on southern Vancouver Island were intensively sampled using hemispherical photographic methods. This document describes the general theory, approach, and analytical tools associated with hemispherical canopy photography and computerized image analysis in the context of this research. As a result, a technical protocol has been devised that can be adopted, modified, and improved upon by those interested in using hemispherical techniques for similar research initiatives. Recommendations are made to improve the quality and reliability of future hemispherical image analysis systems. Appendices include information on measurement of fisheye lens distortion and the effect on the calculation of gap fraction magnitude and distribution, and a model for estimating percent open sky and leaf area index.

This book presents practical information about hemispherical photography from the perspectives of field data acquisition, image processing and information retrieval methods. This book is organized into three sections. The first section describes what is hemispherical photography and what are the fundamental elements of forest structure and light interactions within the forest canopy. The second section provides practical information about the equipment, procedures and tools for procuring, processing and analyzing hemispherical photographs. Armed with this information, the third section describes several applications of hemispherical photographs to forestry and natural resource assessment. The book concludes with a discussion about modelling tools and future directions of this rapidly growing field. There is currently no information source on the market that has this comprehensive range of topics combined in a single book. The book will appeal to academics, graduate students, natural resource professionals and researchers alike.

Remote Sensing of Forest Environments: Concepts and Case Studies is an edited volume intended to provide readers with a state-of-the-art synopsis of the current methods and applied applications employed in remote sensing the world's forests. The contributing authors have sought to illustrate and deepen our understanding of remote sensing of forests, providing new insights and indicating opportunities that are created when forests and forest practices are considered in concert with the evolving paradigm of remote sensing science. Following background and methods sections, this book introduces a series of case studies that exemplify the ways in which remotely sensed data are operationally used, as an element of the decision-making process, and in the scientific study of forests. Remote Sensing of Forest Environments: Concepts and Case Studies is designed to meet the needs of a professional audience composed of both practitioners and researchers. This book is also suitable as a secondary text for graduate-level students in Forestry, Environmental Science, Geography, Engineering, and Computer Science.

As remote sensing data and methods have become increasingly complex and varied - and increasingly reliable - so have their uses in forest management. New algorithms have been developed in virtually every aspect of image analysis, from classification to enhancements to estimating parameters. Remote Sensing for Sustainable Forest Management reviews t