Estimation of biophysical properties of upland Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) plantations

It is widely accepted that estimates of forest above-ground biomass are required as inputs to forest ecosystem models, and that SAR data have the potential to provide such information. This study describes relationships between polarimetric radar backscatter and key biophysical properties of a coniferous plantation in upland central Wales, U.K. Over the test site, topography was relatively complex and was expected to influence the amount of radar backscatter.