Comparing alternative tree canopy cover estimates derived from digital aerial photography and field-based assessments

Tracey Frescino; Gretchen Moisen

Treesearch

Comparing alternative tree canopy cover estimates derived from digital aerial photography and field-based assessments

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Tracey Frescino, Gretchen Moisen

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. 237-244.

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Abstract

A spatially-explicit representation of live tree canopy cover, such as the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) percent tree canopy cover layer, is a valuable tool for many applications, such as defining forest land, delineating wildlife habitat, estimating carbon, and modeling fire risk and behavior. These layers are generated by predictive models wherein their accuracy is dependent on the quality of the data used to train the models. This analysis compares several different methods for estimating live tree canopy cover, including ocular, image segmentation, and dot count assessments from digital aerial photography, as well as field-based measurements.

Parent Publication

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

Citation

Frescino, Tracey S.; Moisen, Gretchen G. 2012. Comparing alternative tree canopy cover estimates derived from digital aerial photography and field-based assessments. 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. 237-244.