Evaluation of multi-temporal and multi-polarization ASAR for Boreal Forests in Hinton

Multitemporal Envisat ASAR precision images with alternating polarization mode (1) were collected in this study to investigate radar backscatter variability for different forest types in a northern forest environment in Canada. Prior to the analysis, the images were pre-processed, including speckle reduction, SAR texture generation, and image orthorectification. A 2002 Landsat TM image was prepared for the SAR-optical data fusion analysis. To determine the effectiveness of C-band Envisat ASAR data for the use of forest mapping, structure recognition, and change detection, a hierarchical logistic classifier, LOGIT (2), was used to classify the multitemporal and multi-polarization ASAR images. The scattering characteristics of different forest covers, clear-cut areas, and forest regeneration were examined and the classification comparisons were made. This paper reports on these experiments and the methodology for using multi-temporal and multi-polarization SAR in northern forest environments.