Abstract
We investigated the relationship between individual tree heights and topographic factors of their standing positions, such as the distance from a ridge (dr), the distance from a flow path (df), the position on a slope (dr/ (dr+ df)), the slope angle, the slope aspect and the altitude, in a Chamaecyparis obtusa stand located in the Kagehira-Ichinomatayama National Forest in Kochi Prefecture. We compared individual tree heights derived from the field survey with those obtained from airborne laser scanner data for a 0.5 ha sample plot to confirm the accuracy of the identification by airborne laser scanner. The correlation coefficient between tree heights derived from airborne laser scanner data and those derived from the field survey was 0.94. All tree heights and topographic factors in the study area were calculated from the airborne laser scanner data. We performed a multiple regression analysis, using tree height and topographic factors as the dependent variable and the independent variables, respectively. As a result, the multiple correlation coefficient was 0.71 and the analysis made it clear that the tree height of Chamaecyparis obtusa depended on the position on a slope and the altitude.
