Bidirectional scattering of light from tree leaves

A laboratory goniometer consisting of an He-Ne laser (632.8 nm), vertical leaf holder, and silicon photovoltaic detector was used to measure the bidirectional scattering (both transmittance and reflectance) of red oak and red maple. The illumination angles were 0, 30, and 60 deg, and the scattering was recorded approximately every 10 deg in the principal plane. The scattering profiles obtained show the non-Lambertian characteristics of the scattering, particularly for the off-nadir illumination directions. The transmitted light was more isotropic than the reflected light.