Estimation of trees height and vertical structure using SAR interferometry in uneven-aged and mixed forests

Estimation of forest height is an important parameter of stands structure that aids in the determination of forest biomass, successional stage dynamics, and the decision of the type of forest management. In addition, estimating the height of trees especially in uneven-aged, massive, and multi-storied forest stands always faces challenges in kind of inventory and accuracy of the assessment. In this research, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry technique was used to estimate the height of trees for determining the vertical structure of forest. For this purpose, we focused on an area at the mixed and uneven-aged forest in Iran and evaluated the potential of Envisat ASAR data to characterize the tree height in the forest patches and the digital surface model (DSM) was produced via SAR interferometry. The height of trees and the vertical structure of the forest stands were estimated using produced DSM and Digital elevation Model (DEM). Furthermore, the accuracy of estimated parameters was evaluated with real ground data (11 × 1 ha (100 × 100 m) sample plots). The results indicated that the estimated height of trees was meanly 7.69 m with a 22 m STDV over the reality. Furthermore, the vertical structure in all the plots was three-storied that they are the same as ground truth, but the percentage of the share of trees in the under and middle story was different from the ground truth. In conclusion, the tree height and vertical structure of forest stands can be determined with acceptable accuracy via SAR interferometry and Envisat ASAR data.