LiDAR full waveform - based study on forest canopy height retrieval over sloping terrain

Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) has a unique capability for estimating forest canopy height, which has a direct relationship with, and can provide better understanding of the aboveground forest carbon storage. The full waveform data of ICESat - GLAS, were employed to achieve improved estimates of forest canopy height over sloping terrain in the Changbai Mountains region, China. The study proposed an improved model to predict maximum canopy height using the logarithmic transformation of waveform extent as only independent variables. While Lefsky's model explained 9% -90% of maximum canopy height variation in the study area, the improved model explained 53% -92% of variation within the 0 -30 degrees terrain slope category. The results reveal that the improved model can reduce the mixed effects caused by complex sloping terrain.