The work was carried out for the Extremadura Forest Service. The main objective of the project was mapping wall-to-wall estimates of forest inventory variables in Extremadura region (Spain) by combining SNFI plot data and remotely sensed ALS data as auxiliary variable at fine spatial resolution (25×25 m).
The estimated forest inventory variables were: growing stock volume (V, m3 ha-1), basal area (G, m2 ha-1), annual increase in total volume (IAVC, m3 ha-1 year-1) and aboveground biomass (Wa, tn ha-1), percentile of height and Canopy Cover.
For this purpose, LiDAR-based inventory models were fitted using new well-georeferenced plots from SNFI and the second countrywide LiDAR coverage available in Extremadura Region.
All the information developed is available in the web viewer: http://visor.ideex.es/#/visor/map%3D425, in the en el Extremadura Territorial Information System Download Centre (http://sitex.gobex.es/SITEX/centrodescargas/viewsubcategoria/56, and through a WMS service (http://ideex.es/CICTEX/variablesDasometricas)
The results obtained in this work confirm that especially for pure single-species forest stands, the combination of the new well-georeferenced SNFI plots and remote sensing techniques using LiDAR technology is a very efficient and low-cost tool for forest resource estimation.
