Integrating LIDAR and Forest Inventories to Fill the Trees Outside Forests Data Gap

Kristofer Johnson, USDA Forest Service, kristoferdjohnson@fs.fed.us (Presenter)
Richard Birdsey, USDA Forest Service, rbirdsey@fs.fed.us
Jason Cole, USDA Forest Service, jasoncole@fs.fed.us
Anuradha Swatantran, University of Maryland, aswatantran@gmail.com
Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont, joneildu@uvm.edu
Ralph Dubayah, University of Maryland, dubayah@umd.edu
Andrew J. Lister, USDA Forest Service, alister@fs.fed.us

Forest inventories are commonly used to estimate total tree biomass of forest land even though they are not traditionally designed to measure biomass of Trees Outside Forests (TOF). The consequence may be an inaccurate representation of all of the aboveground biomass that propagates to the spatial and process model outputs that rely on inventory data. An ideal approach to fill this data gap would take advantage of existing tree measurements from a traditional forest inventory, and integrate TOF measurements within the same system for a parsimonious estimate of total tree biomass. In this study, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data were used to predict biomass of TOF in all nonforest Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots in the state of Maryland. A field crew was sent to measure nonforest plots in three Maryland counties to validate the LIDAR-based biomass predictions, resulting in close agreement between the two measurements at both the plot and county scales. Total tree biomass in Maryland increased by 25.5 Tg, or 15.6%, when biomass of TOF were included. In two counties (Carroll and Howard) there was a 47% increase. In contrast, counties located further away from the interstate highway corridor showed only a modest increase in biomass when TOF were added because nonforest conditions were less common in those areas. The advantage of this approach for estimating biomass of TOF is that it is compatible with, and explicitly separates TOF biomass from, forest biomass already measured by FIA crews. By predicting biomass of TOF at actual FIA plots, this approach is directly compatible with traditionally reported FIA forest biomass, providing a framework for other states to follow, and should improve carbon reporting and modeling activities in the state.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) Posters   (Mon 1:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Dubayah, Ralph: High Resolution Carbon Monitoring and Modeling: A CMS Phase 2 Study ...details

Poster Location ID: 156