Forest Biomass and Structure Measurements for Remote Sensing Validation

New England and California forests were surveyed between 2008 and 2010 to collect biophysical measurements. The dataset includes tree diameter, species, location, and biomass estimates calculated from allometric equations, supporting comparisons with airborne lidar and radar data. It was collected under the North American Carbon Program to understand carbon stocks and changes.

Use Cases

• Validating airborne lidar (LVIS) and UAVSAR remote sensing acquisitions based on ground-measured forest structure.
• Estimating plot-level biomass and carbon stocks using allometric equations applied to diameter and species data.
• Analyzing forest composition and structure, including stem density and size class distribution, across multiple experimental forests.
• Calibrating Echidna lidar imaging products with intensive inventory data on stem location, DBH, and canopy dimensions.

Strengths

• Provides measurements from five distinct experimental forest stations, offering geographic diversity.
• Includes intensive inventories with stem-level location, species, and canopy data for a subset of plots, enabling detailed analysis.
• Contains data collected over multiple years (2008-2010), allowing for temporal assessment at one site.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unspecified, limiting precise understanding of data structure.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without details, creating potential usage uncertainty.
• Metadata shows a conflict in last updated dates (2010 vs. 2026), raising questions about maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Field campaign measurements conducted by investigators from Federal and university laboratories.

Time Range

2008-2010

Freshness

2026-04-10 00:32:15.414330

Geography

Five New England experimental forests (Bartlett, Harvard, Howland, Hubbard Brook, Penobscot) and one site in Sierra National Forest, California.