• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.605-614
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• 2015

Drone imaging, which is more cost-effective and controllable compared to airborne LiDAR, requires a low-cost camera and is used for capturing color images. From the overlapped color images, we produced two high-resolution digital surface models over different test areas. After segmentation, we performed tree identification according to the method proposed by , and computed the tree height and the canopy crown size. Compared with the field measurements, the computed results for the tree height in test area 1 (coniferous trees) were found to be accurate, while the results in test area 2 (deciduous coniferous trees) were found to be underestimated. The RMSE of the tree height was 0.84 m, and the width of the canopy crown was 1.51 m in test area 1. Further, the RMSE of the tree height was 2.45 m, and the width of the canopy crown was 1.53 m in test area 2. The experiment results validated the use of drone images for the extraction of a tree structure.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.2
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• pp.676-679
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• 2006

Mangrove crowns were delineated using active sensor LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) data by a crown delineating model developed in this study. LIDAR data were acquired from airborne survey by a helicopter for the estuary of Macouria in the northeast coast of French Guiana. The canopy height image was derived from LIDAR vector data by calculating the difference between ground and non-ground data. The mangrove site in the study area was classified to three sectors by the time of mangrove settlement; Mangrove 1986, 2002 and 2003. The estimated crown of Mangrove 1986 was reliable defined for their size, number and volume because of larger crown size and bigger variation of crown height. The tree crown size of Mangrove 2002 and 2003 by the model was overestimated and the number of trees was much underestimated. The estimated crown was not for single crown but a crown group due to homogenous crown height and spatial resolution of LIDAR data. However the canopy height image derived from LIDAR data provided three-dimensional information of mangroves.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.89 no.5
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• pp.543-551
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• 2000

This study was conducted to understand Pinus densiflora regeneration characteristics from canopy gaps due to disturbance in natural forests located at Mt. Joongwang in Kangwon-do. The line-transect method was adopted to analyze crown architecture of Pinus densiflora. The saplings of Pinus densiflora in the canopy gap showed high adaptation to growth environment at their early regeneration stage, and showed different characteristics in crown architecture. Variation of branching angle in the main branch of Pinus densiflora was small in canopy gap. Primary branch growth showed was high during 4~5 year-old period and slowly low after that period. Average 5 of primary branch were generated from stem in canopy. Average 4 of secondary branch were generated from primary branch in canopy gap. Primary branches generated from the stem were uniformly distributed at all cardinal directions. When canopy gap size is $100{\sim}120m^2$, secondary branches generated from primary branch had mostly high numbers between $S44^{\circ}E$ and $S90^{\circ}W$.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.247-249
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• 2007

Crown parameters are important roles in tree species identification, because the canopy is the aggregate of all the crowns. However, crown measurements with spaceborne image data have remained more difficult than on aerial photographs since trees show more structural detail at higher resolutions. This recognized problem led to the initiation of the research to determine if high resolution satellite image data could be used to identify and classify single tree species. In this paper, shape parameters derived from pixel-based crown area measurements and texture features derived from GLCM parameters in QuickBird image were tested and compared for individual tree species identification. As expected, initial studies have shown that the crown parameters and the canopy texture parameters provided a differentiating method between coniferous trees and broad-leaved trees within the compartment(less than forest stand) for single extraction from spaceborne high resolution image.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.545-560
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• 2019

Unlike other critical forest diseases, pine pitch canker in Korea has shown rather mild symptoms of partial loss of crown foliage and leaf discoloration. This study used high-resolution satellite images to detect and monitor canopy decline by pine pitch canker. To enhance the subtle change of canopy reflectance in pitch canker damaged tree crowns, multi-temporal analysis was applied to two KOMPSAT multispectral images obtained in 2011 and 2015. To assure the spectral consistency between the two images, radiometric corrections of atmospheric and shadow effects were applied prior to multi-temporal analysis. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of each image and the NDVI difference (${\Delta}NDVI=NDVI_{2015}-NDVI_{2011}$) between two images were derived. All negative ΔNDVI values were initially considered any pine stands, including both pitch canker damaged trees and other trees, that showed the decrease of crown foliage from 2011 to 2015. Next, $NDVI_{2015}$ was used to exclude the canopy decline unrelated to the pitch canker damage. Field survey data were used to find the spectral characteristics of the damaged canopy and to evaluate the detection accuracy from further analysis.Although the detection accuracy as assessed by limited number of field survey on 21 sites was 71%, there were also many false alarms that were spectrally very similar to the damaged canopy. The false alarms were mostly found at the mixed stands of pine and young deciduous trees, which might invade these sites after the pine canopy had already opened by any crown damages. Using both ${\Delta}NDVI$ and $NDVI_{2015}$ could be an effective way to narrow down the potential area of the pitch canker damage in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.3
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• pp.359-366
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to analyze the changes of crown fire hazard possibility from the effects of forest tending works (FTW) in Pinus densiflora stands in Korea. The study sites were located in Youngju (FTW) and Bonghwa (Control) areas. Ten representative sample trees were destructively felled at each areas to analyze the crown fuel characteristics. The results of this study showed that crown fuel moisture content in Youngju and Bonghwa areas were 103.6% and 104.4%, respectively. The needles and twigs with less than 1cm diameter accounted 50.3% of the total crown fuel load in Youngju area and 62.0% in Bonghwa area. On the other hand, it was observed in Youngju that the canopy bulk density was $0.11kg/m^3$ lower but have 1.3 m higher average canopy base height therefore having a possibility of lower crown fire hazard as compared to Bonghwa that had higher canopy bulk density and lower canopy base height.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.107 no.4
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• pp.412-421
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of forest management activities on canopy fuel characteristics for Pinus densiflora stands in South Korea. We used 1,085 managed stands data and 349 unmanaged stands data of the National Forest Inventory for this study, and it was estimated by using the Weibull function for the growth of stand and canopy fuel characteristics. Comparing the canopy fuel characteristics for the managed stands and unmanaged stands shows that the average canopy fuel load is about 14% higher than that of managed stands, and the canopy bulk density is also approximately 16% higher. The results of comparing growth projections for 40 years, 50 years and 60 years with the Weibull function are as follows: Over time, managed stands was predicted the maximum number of medium and large class diameter, while unmanaged stands was predicted maximum number of small and medium class diameter. From a fire fuel perspective, unmanaged stands are predicted to be of the type small class diameter and high density, which is a good condition for crown fire. In addition, Canopy fuel load, Canopy bulk density is relatively higher than managed stands, indicating that the possibility of high crown fire hazard.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.72-74
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• 2003

Forest canopy density is an ideal representative of the forest habitat situations. It can directly or indirectly depict the canopy structure and gap size in the forestland, thus could be applied to assessment of wildlife’s diversit y. Since population survey of vegetation and wildlife diversities is a key issue for sustainable forest ecosystem management, many research efforts have been focused on forest canopy density using multispectral data in the last two decades. Unfortunately, prediction of canopy density using large scaling remote sensing data remains a challenging issue. Due to recent advances in hyperspectral image sensors hyperspectral imagery is now available for environmental monitoring. In this paper, we conduct experiments to monitor complicated environments of forestland that can be captured by using hyperspectral imagery and further be analyzed to test a prediction model of forest canopy density. The results show that 95% of canopy density could be well described by using 2 difference vegetation indices (DVIs), which are difference of blue and green reflectances rband_100-rband_150 and difference of 2 short wave infrared reflectancse rband_406-rband_410 With the wavelengths of band no. 100, 150, 406, and 410 specified by 462.39 nm, 534.40 nm, 918.22 nm and 924.41 nm respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.2
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• pp.204-212
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• 2010

This study was performed in 22 unthinned Larix olgensis plantations in northeast China. Data were collected on 95 sample trees of different canopy positions and the diameter at breast height ($d_{1.3}$) ranged from 5.7 cm to 40.2 cm. The individual tree models for the prediction of vertical distribution of live crown, branch and needle biomass were built. Our study showed that the crown, branch and needle biomass distributions were most in the location of 60% crown length. These results were also parallel to previous crown studies. The cumulative relative biomass of live crown, branch and needle were fitted by the sigmoid shape curve and the fitting results were quite well. Meanwhile, we developed the crown ratio and width models. Tree height was the most important predictor for crown ratio model. A negative competition factor, ccf and bas which reflected the effect of suppression on a tree, reduced the crown ratio estimates. The height-diameter ratio was a significant predictor. The higher the height-diameter ratio, the higher crown ratio is. Diameter at breast height is the strongest predictor in crown width model. The models can be used for the planning of harvesting operations, for the selection of feasible harvesting methods, and for the estimation of nutrient removals of different harvesting practices.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2012

Crown density, which is defined as the proportion of the forest floor concealed by tree crown, is important and useful information in various fields. Previous methods of measuring crown density have estimated crown density by interpreting aerial photographs or through a ground survey. These are time-consuming, labor-intensive, expensive and inconsistent approaches, as they involve a great deal of subjectivity and rely on the experience of the interpreter. In this study, the crown density of a forest in Korea was estimated using KOMPSAT-2 high-resolution satellite images. Using the image segmentation technique and stand information of the digital forest map, the forest area was divided into zones. The crown density for each segment was determined using the discriminant analysis method and the forest ratio method. The results showed that the accuracy of the discriminant analysis method was about 60%, while the accuracy of the forest ratio method was about 85%. The probability of extraction of candidate to update was verified by comparing the result with the digital forest map.