Single strata canopy cover estimation using airborne laser scanning data

Canopy height and canopy cover are two important biophysical variables in forest characterization. As far as airborne laser scanning (ALS) studies is concerned, canopy height has been mapped at a high spatial resolution through canopy height models (CHM). Conversely, canopy cover had been computed at a coarser resolution (plot-level) by means of penetration rate metrics (PRM). In this work we present a method dedicated to compute single strata canopy cover at a spatial resolution similar to the CHM. Vegetation density maps are interpolated from the ALS point cloud pattern using a novel method based on the kernel density estimators (KDE). We developed an automatic variable-bandwidth approach that accommodates for both the point cloud density variability inherent to any ALS survey and the shading effect induced by taller canopy on laser beams. Results are compared with the PRM approach.