Automated tree crown identification using digital orthophoto mosaics

Forest inventory collates mensurational data interpreted directly from remo tely sensed imagery, or derived indirectly from information interpreted fro m the imagery. Currently, the predominant scale mapped is at the stand leve l, however, due to the increasing availability of high resolution (or hyper spatial) digital data the possibility of applying high automated techniques to deriving these attributes is increasing. A number of studies have been carried out to utilize hyperspatial multispectral data for forest mensurati on. These have focused on the automated delineation of individual tree crow ns. Digital orthophotos however have not been as yet extensively used for t his purpose. This paper reports on the initial results of a procedure devel oped to identify and map tree crowns from digital orthophoto mosaics.