Quantifying Forest Structure by LiDAR, RADAR and Hyperspectral Imaging
Abstract
In the STEM fields, students of minority groups, such as African-Americans, are still under-represented in the USA. Alabama A & M University (AAMU) is one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and also a traditional land-grant institution with the function of teaching, research, and extension. The Forestry Program at AAMU is one of the only two accredited forestry programs in the HBCUs across the nation. The Forestry Program has been a leading organization for conducting forest ecosystem related research. Its long-term goal is to examine the forest ecosystem dynamics at the scale from molecular makeup to regional landscape patterns and from geochemical nutrient dynamics to ecosystem flux and services. The Forestry Program has been a significant provider of African American students for the federal agencies (e.g., USDA Forest Service). In order to enhance the research and teaching capacity of the Forestry Program at AAMU and provide better training to more minority students, we propose to purchase a set of essential instruments (e.g., LiDAR, RADAR, and hyperspectral imaging), which could help students and faculty members to conduct research for a better understanding of forest structure and function and their relations with other components of the forest ecosystem in Alabama and adjacent areas. LiDAR can quantitatively measure forest canopies; RADAR can measure tree root systems in soil and also determine whether tree stems are hollow or rotten; portable photosynthesis system can quickly measure leaf photosynthesis on-site in forests under different settings; WinSCANOPY can provide information of digital images for tree canopy and related solar radiation; and hyperspectral imaging can distinguish tree species composition. With these new instruments, our research will further develop the knowledge of forest ecology under changing environment and climate. Our research is hypothesis driven with direct management implications. The under-represented minority students will have opportunities to learn and use the advanced technologies for forest resources management, especially the studentsÕ forest fire-fighter team (Fire Dawgs) will use the equipment to conduct ecological evaluation after forest fires or prescribed burning. It will introduce an engineering approach for the current forest planning and management. This approach will greatly inspire minority students to participate in forestry and STEM-related education and research. With the knowledge and experience of using the equipment in forestry, these students will have an excellent chance to be a leader of their working teams after they graduate from AAMU. Furthermore, the students will develop skills in measuring, computation, monitoring, and modeling when they apply these instruments. These skills will be helpful for the students in under-represented groups to work for the Department of Defense.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 17, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2210240
Entities
People
- Xiongwen Chen
Organizations
- Alabama A & M College
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense