Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island
The monitoring of ecosystems and forests is an urgent requirement in the current framework of global change. It is particularly necessary on oceanic islands where their rich biodiversity is highly vulnerable, with many narrow-ranged endemic species. Quantifying and mapping forest health through key...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/4/994 |
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| author | Jesús Parada-Díaz Ángel B. Fernández López Luis A. Gómez González Marcelino J. del Arco Aguilar Juana María González-Mancebo |
| author_facet | Jesús Parada-Díaz Ángel B. Fernández López Luis A. Gómez González Marcelino J. del Arco Aguilar Juana María González-Mancebo |
| author_sort | Jesús Parada-Díaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The monitoring of ecosystems and forests is an urgent requirement in the current framework of global change. It is particularly necessary on oceanic islands where their rich biodiversity is highly vulnerable, with many narrow-ranged endemic species. Quantifying and mapping forest health through key ecological variables are essential steps for management, but it will also be challenging and may require a lot of resources. Remote sensing has the potential to be a very useful tool to assess the development and conservation status of forests. We assessed the applicability of the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) on the laurel forests of La Gomera, making allometric equations for various measurements of the forest structure, linking field inventory from 2019 and 2017 LiDAR data through standard linear regressions. Decision trees and logistic regressions were also used to assess the performance of LiDAR in the recognition of young-growth and old-growth laurel forests. The obtained allometric models were a good fit in general and their predictions were in line with already known data. Likewise, decision tree and logistic regression to distinguish young-growth and old-growth forests had a similar performance in both cases, with a high to medium-high degree of accuracy. Therefore, LiDAR was revealed to be a useful tool for the monitoring of the laurel forest by the managers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:08:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d6c256046172481ab2e2a158b2f4a4e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:08:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-d6c256046172481ab2e2a158b2f4a4e02023-11-23T21:55:18ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-02-0114499410.3390/rs14040994Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic IslandJesús Parada-Díaz0Ángel B. Fernández López1Luis A. Gómez González2Marcelino J. del Arco Aguilar3Juana María González-Mancebo4Plant Conservation and Biogeography Research Group, Departamento de Botánica Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, C/Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainParque Nacional de Garajonay, Edificio las Creces, Local 1, Portal 3, C/Ruiz de Padrón y Avenida del 5° Centenario, 38800 San Sebastián de la Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainTRAGSATEC Grupo TRAGSA, Gerencia de Tragsatec UT 4. Dpto. La Gomera-El Hierro/Proyectos Agsa-Mapi. Avda/Quinto Centenario, s/n, Edif. San José, Local 4, 38800 San Sebastián de la Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainPlant Conservation and Biogeography Research Group, Departamento de Botánica Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, C/Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainPlant Conservation and Biogeography Research Group, Departamento de Botánica Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, C/Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainThe monitoring of ecosystems and forests is an urgent requirement in the current framework of global change. It is particularly necessary on oceanic islands where their rich biodiversity is highly vulnerable, with many narrow-ranged endemic species. Quantifying and mapping forest health through key ecological variables are essential steps for management, but it will also be challenging and may require a lot of resources. Remote sensing has the potential to be a very useful tool to assess the development and conservation status of forests. We assessed the applicability of the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) on the laurel forests of La Gomera, making allometric equations for various measurements of the forest structure, linking field inventory from 2019 and 2017 LiDAR data through standard linear regressions. Decision trees and logistic regressions were also used to assess the performance of LiDAR in the recognition of young-growth and old-growth laurel forests. The obtained allometric models were a good fit in general and their predictions were in line with already known data. Likewise, decision tree and logistic regression to distinguish young-growth and old-growth forests had a similar performance in both cases, with a high to medium-high degree of accuracy. Therefore, LiDAR was revealed to be a useful tool for the monitoring of the laurel forest by the managers.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/4/994laurel forestyoung-growth forestold-growth forestabove-ground biomassallometric equationsplant conservation |
| spellingShingle | Jesús Parada-Díaz Ángel B. Fernández López Luis A. Gómez González Marcelino J. del Arco Aguilar Juana María González-Mancebo Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island Remote Sensing laurel forest young-growth forest old-growth forest above-ground biomass allometric equations plant conservation |
| title | Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island |
| title_full | Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island |
| title_short | Assessing the Usefulness of LiDAR for Monitoring the Structure of a Montane Forest on a Subtropical Oceanic Island |
| title_sort | assessing the usefulness of lidar for monitoring the structure of a montane forest on a subtropical oceanic island |
| topic | laurel forest young-growth forest old-growth forest above-ground biomass allometric equations plant conservation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/4/994 |
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