Forest Roads Mapped Using LiDAR in Steep Forested Terrain
Open Access
- 14 April 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Remote Sensing
- Vol. 2 (4), 1120-1141
- https://doi.org/10.3390/rs2041120
Abstract
LiDAR-derived digital elevation models can reveal road networks located beneath dense forest canopy. This study tests the accuracy of forest road characteristics mapped using LiDAR in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. The position, gradient, and total length of a forest haul road were accurately extracted using a 1 m DEM. In comparison to a field-surveyed centerline, the LiDAR-derived road exhibited a positional accuracy of 1.5 m, road grade measurements within 0.53% mean absolute difference, and total road length within 0.2% of the field-surveyed length. Airborne LiDAR can provide thorough and accurate road inventory data to support forest management and watershed assessment activities.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- LiDAR Utility for Natural Resource ManagersRemote Sensing, 2009
- Discrete Return Lidar in Natural Resources: Recommendations for Project Planning, Data Processing, and DeliverablesRemote Sensing, 2009
- Characterizing forest succession with lidar data: An evaluation for the Inland Northwest, USARemote Sensing of Environment, 2009
- Global Positioning System/GIS-Based Approach for Modeling Erosion from Large Road NetworksJournal of Hydrologic Engineering, 2006
- Accuracy of a high-resolution lidar terrain model under a conifer forest canopyCanadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 2003
- Effects of Roads on Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Disturbance Patches in Stream NetworksConservation Biology, 2000
- Sediment production from forest roads in western OregonWater Resources Research, 1999
- Equivalent roaded area as a measure of cumulative effect of loggingEnvironmental Management, 1995
- Road surface drainage, channel initiation, and slope instabilityWater Resources Research, 1994
- Topology of Extinction and Endangerment of Native Fishes in the Pacific Northwest and California (U.S.A.)Conservation Biology, 1993