Earth Observation and UAV Applications in Forestry

Dear Colleagues,

Earth observation and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications are rapidly expanding and revolutionizing our understanding of the natural sciences. The recent growing availability of Earth observation remote sensing imagery from various sensors has allowed regional and global studies on a high-frequency basis. On the other hand, UAV platforms provide a unique opportunity to acquire low-cost imagery at fine spatial and temporal resolutions from local to regional scales. In order to better understand forests and the problems associated with preserving them as ecosystems, carbon sinks, and renewable energy resources, both platforms play a huge role.

In this Special Issue, we intend to provide a unique collection of original research works in the field of forestry that address novel approaches using remote sensing data at a global, regional and local scale. In particular, we encourage authors to demonstrate the enormous possibilities of advanced methods and technologies for applications in forest resource management.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Image classification and change detection;
• Image processing and pattern recognition;
• Feature extraction and object-based image analysis;
• Image fusion for forest monitoring;
• Machine learning and deep learning approaches;
• Large-scale forest monitoring using LiDAR data (specially GEDI and ICESat-2 missions) for forest inventory and monitoring;
• UAV-image-derived forest stand metrics (forest yield, biomass, tree density, etc.);
• Detection capabilities of UAV multispectral data (individual species classification and characterization).

Dr. Akash Anand
Dr. Prashant Srivastava
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava
Dr. Ram Avtar
Guest Editors

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