Retrieval of forest parameters from multitemporal spaceborne SAR data

The aim of the study is to develop inversion methods for spaceborne SAR images of the boreal forests. The parameters of interest are stem volume (biomass), forest and land-cover types, soil and vegetation moisture. The previously developed forest stem volume/soil moisture retrieval algorithm was tested by producing soil moisture maps for large test areas. The textural information of a seasonal set of ERS-1 SAR images was studied with the first and second order statistical measures. These measures had a higher information value than intensity values (or their principal components) for the forest and land type classification. The multitemporal approach was beneficial for the application of textural measures and the textural parameters significantly improved the classification of land-use and forest types