Remote Sensing of Forest Floor and Upper Layer LAI Evaluated With IKONOS Satellite in East Siberian Taiga

Remote sensing of forest floor types and upper layer LAI was evaluated with IKONOS imagery in east Siberian larch forest. Siberian taiga is characterized by occurrences of forest fire. The area contained various age forest stands and burned forest differing in fire severity. The taiga is also characterized by sparse upper soil layer and patched forest ground vegetation that may include burned scars. By taking account of these characteristics, we built and evaluated radiative transfer models for estimation of forest floor types and upper layer LAI that contribute to carbon budget estimation. Forest floor plant species and tree crowns were mapped and component spectrums were observed in a 30m X 30m observation plot in a mature larch stand (N62?_q20', E129?_q30') in east Siberia, from Yakutsk. IKONOS imagery was taken over the plot on 11 July, 2001 from 45 degrees zenith angle. The forest floor plant species and tree crowns were mapped by sketching and interpretation of photos taken on the forest floors, and height and diameter at breast height of all the trees were measured. 1m X 1m sized 900 and 400 photographs were taken for mapping of the forest floor plant species in the larch and grassland plots, respectively. The data was integrated as spatial data set and used for evaluation of forest floor types and upper layer LAI estimation from IKONOS satellite data.