Effect of species structure and dielectric constant on C-band forest backscatter

Abstract

A joint experiment between Canadian and USA research teams was conducted early in October, 1992 to determine the effect of species structure and dielectric variations on forest backscatter. Two stands, one red pine and one jack pine, in the Petawawa National Forestry Institute (PNFI) were utilized for the experiment. Extensive tree architecture measurements had been taken by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) several months earlier by employing a total station surveying instrument which provides detailed information on branch structure. A second part of the experiment consisted of cutting down several trees and using dielectric probes to measure branch and needle permittivity values at both sites. The dielectric and the tree geometry data have been used in the George Washington University (GWU) Vegetation Model to determine the C-band backscattering coefficients of the individual stands for W polarization. The model results show that backscatter at C-band comes mainly from the needles and small branches and the upper portion of the trunks acts only as an attenuator. The paper concludes with a discussion of variation of backscatter with species structure and how dielectric variations in needles for both species may affect the total backscatter returns.