Pixel- and object-based multispectral classification of forest tree species from small unmanned aerial vehicles

Forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment requires accurate tree species identification and mapping. Recent experiences with multispectral data from small fixed-wing and rotary blade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) suggest a role for this technology in the emerging paradigm of enhanced forest inventory (EFI). In this paper, pixel-based and object-based image analysis (OBIA) methods were compared in UAV-based tree species classification of nine commercial tree species in mature eastern Ontario mixedwood forests. Unsupervised clustering and supervised classification of tree crown pixels yielded approximately 50%–60% classification accuracy overall; OBIA with image segmentation to delineate tree crowns and machine learning yielded up to 80% classification accuracy overall. Spectral response patterns and tree crown shape and geometric differences were interpreted in context of their ability to separate tree species of interest with these classification methods. Accuracy assessment was based on field-based forest inventory tree species identification. The paper provides a brief summary of future research issues that will influence the growth of this geomatics innovation in forest tree species classification and forest inventory.