Capturing Temporal Dynamics in Large-Scale Canopy Tree Height Estimation
This provides essential data for researchers and ecologists monitoring forest structure and biomass, though it is incremental as it builds on existing satellite and LiDAR methods.
The paper tackled the problem of generating large-scale, high-resolution canopy height maps over time to aid forest monitoring, presenting the first 10m resolution temporal canopy height map of Europe for 2019-2022 with more precise estimates than previous studies.
With the rise in global greenhouse gas emissions, accurate large-scale tree canopy height maps are essential for understanding forest structure, estimating above-ground biomass, and monitoring ecological disruptions. To this end, we present a novel approach to generate large-scale, high-resolution canopy height maps over time. Our model accurately predicts canopy height over multiple years given Sentinel-1 composite and Sentinel~2 time series satellite data. Using GEDI LiDAR data as the ground truth for training the model, we present the first 10m resolution temporal canopy height map of the European continent for the period 2019-2022. As part of this product, we also offer a detailed canopy height map for 2020, providing more precise estimates than previous studies. Our pipeline and the resulting temporal height map are publicly available, enabling comprehensive large-scale monitoring of forests and, hence, facilitating future research and ecological analyses.