A tool to determine crown and plot canopy transparency for forest inventory and analysis phase 3 plots using digital photographs

Matthew Winn; Philip Araman

Treesearch

A tool to determine crown and plot canopy transparency for forest inventory and analysis phase 3 plots using digital photographs

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Matthew Winn, Philip Araman

Year:

2012

Type:

Paper

Station:

Southern Research Station

Source:

In: McWilliams, Will; Roesch, Francis A. eds. 2012. Monitoring Across Borders: 2010 Joint Meeting of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium and the Southern Mensurationists. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-157. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 217-222.

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Download (PDF 3.48 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/41010.pdf

Abstract

The USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collects crown foliage transparency estimates for individual trees on Phase 3 (P3) inventory plots. The FIA crown foliage estimate is obtained from a pair of perpendicular side views of the tree. Researchers with the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station have developed a computer program that uses a different approach to estimate transparency utilizing digital photographs. The program can compute individual crown transparency as well as canopy transparency (multiple crowns) from vertical photographs taken below the canopy. The pictures and results can be stored for multiple year evaluations of each plot.

Parent Publication

Monitoring Across Borders: 2010 Joint Meeting of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium and the Southern Mensurationists

Citation

Winn, Matthew F.; Araman, Philip A. 2012. A tool to determine crown and plot canopy transparency for forest inventory and analysis phase 3 plots using digital photographs. In: McWilliams, Will; Roesch, Francis A. eds. 2012. Monitoring Across Borders: 2010 Joint Meeting of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium and the Southern Mensurationists. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-157. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 217-222.