Forest age discrimination from texture measures of SAR imagery

Short wavelength (C-band) radar backscatter intensity from forests is insufficient for estimating age related tree parameters because the microwave radiation does not penetrate far into the forest canopy. However, extra information that is not available in the SAR image tone may be provided by the image texture, the spatial variation in image intensity. This paper demonstrates that a simple measure of texture in high spatial resolution C-band airborne SAR imagery of a tropical forest region can assist in the discrimination of forest age classes that have very similar average backscatter responses. As this effect is not seen in similar studies of a temperate coniferous forest, it is suggested that the relationship between texture and age is associated with the process of forest development particular to tropical forests