Multi-platform and Multi-scale Forest Inventory from Remote Sensing Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), commonly referred to as drones, have firmly established themselves as a valid remote sensing platform. These platforms, capable of flying on demand and in often otherwise inaccessible environments, have proven themselves a niche data product when a high spatial scale is required by the researcher. While some may see RPAs completely replacing the need for other traditional remote sensing platforms such as satellites and traditional fixed-wing aircraft, past and present research trends reveal that remote sensing research continues at multiple scales, and employs multiple forms of remote sensing platforms. Forestry, and forest inventory research, by its very nature is a multi-scale endeavor that is intimately associated with the utilization of remotely sensed data to match the needs of the research, whether that involves assessing thousands of hectares at the landscape level, or examining individual species at the stand level. Increasingly, foresters are looking to assess forest health and inventories using a scalable approach, employing a wide array of platforms ranging from RPAs, ultra-lights, to satellite technology, which may all be applied in conjunction with one another.

This Special Issue of Remote Sensing seeks to compile a collection of studies engaging in forestry research, particularly those in the realm of forest inventory that utilize multi-platform and multi-scaled approaches. This Special Issue welcomes the submission of papers that are inclusive and present unique approaches with regard to a combination of platforms employed at multiple scales. The scope of this Special Issue is vast, but contributions ought to focus on the components of various remote sensing platforms and sensors at multiple scales, and address technological and regulatory challenges in utilizing UAS for forest inventory over large areas. Other topics might include the challenges and solutions involved in utilizing multiple forms of sensor technologies at varying scales. Suggested article topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Forestry health
• Forest inventory
• Remote sensor technology
• RPA platform regulatory challenges
• Unique rs platform approaches (ultra-light)
• Multi remote sensing platform studies
• Multi-scale forest inventory practices
• Precision/accuracy approaches

Prof. Dr. Joseph Hupy
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• UAS
• RPA
• drone
• satellite
• photogrammetry
• forest inventory
• forest health
• biomass
• stand count