Tree Species Classification and Health Status Assessment for a Mixed Broadleaf-Conifer Forest with UAS Multispectral Imaging

Automatic discrimination of tree species and identification of physiological stress imposed on forest trees by biotic factors from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) offers substantial advantages in forest management practices. In this study, we aimed to develop a novel workflow for facilitating tree species classification and the detection of healthy, unhealthy, and dead trees caused by bark beetle infestation using ultra-high resolution 5-band UAS bi-temporal aerial imagery in the Czech Republic. The study is divided into two steps. We initially classified the tree type, either as broadleaf or conifer, and we then classified trees according to the tree type and health status, and subgroups were created to further classify trees (detailed classification). Photogrammetric processed datasets achieved by the use of structure-from-motion (SfM) imaging technique, where resulting digital terrain models (DTMs), digital surface models (DSMs), and orthophotos with a resolution of 0.05 m were utilized as input for canopy spectral analysis, as well as texture analysis (TA). For the spectral analysis, nine vegetation indices (VIs) were applied to evaluate the amount of vegetation cover change of canopy surface between the two seasons, spring and summer of 2019. Moreover, 13 TA variables, including Mean, Variance, Entropy, Contrast, Heterogeneity, Homogeneity, Angular Second Moment, Correlation, Gray-level Difference Vector (GLDV) Angular Second Moment, GLDV Entropy, GLDV Mean, GLDV Contrast, and Inverse Difference, were estimated for the extraction of canopy surface texture. Further, we used the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to conduct a detailed classification of tree species and health status. Our results highlighted the efficiency of the proposed method for tree species classification with an overall accuracy (OA) of 81.18% (Kappa: 0.70) and health status assessment with an OA of 84.71% (Kappa: 0.66). While SVM proved to be a good classifier, the results also showed that a combination of VI and TA layers increased the OA by 4.24%, providing a new dimension of information derived from UAS platforms. These methods could be used to quickly evaluate large areas that have been impacted by biological disturbance agents for mapping and detection, tree inventory, and evaluating habitat conditions at relatively low costs.