Species level mapping of forest canopy height in Nepal using GEDI with Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2

Forest canopy height mapping is critical for mapping and modeling bio-geophysical and ecological factors, including forest aboveground biomass, carbon reserves, forest carbon emissions, habitat diversity, forest degradation, and restoration success. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is a spaceborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor designed specifically to collect data on forest ecosystems worldwide. However, the information obtained by GEDI is not wall-to-wall, requiring data fusion approaches to map spatially continuous canopy heights. This study, for the first time, presents canopy height models for the entire country of Nepal based on interpolated GEDI tree heights fusing Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery with Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR), creating species-specific continuous canopy height models for Nepal at 10 m resolution. Forest plot field data, collected from a nationwide campaign, provided data on species identity, which was used for species mapping and accuracy evaluation. Differences in canopy-architecture and leaf-level traits mean that species-specific models are needed to interpolate GEDI tree heights using the Sentinel optical and SAR data. The national forest height map was compared with an independent set of GEDI data (RMSE = 2.4 m, R 2 = 0.92, intercept (c) = 0.53 m and slope (m) = 0.98) and fully independent field data (RMSE = 3.7 m, R 2 = 0.74, c = 4.1 m, and m = 0.89). The developed forest type map and canopy height models have the potential to aid in both operational monitoring and hindcasting of historical forest height and its dynamics. Local and national forest management initiatives and international climate and sustainable development projects require this kind of capacity.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Frontiers in Remote Sensing

• Publication date

  2026-01-28

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3389/frsen.2026.1725509
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Assessment and improvement of GEDI canopy height estimation in tropical and temperate forests

  2025cited by this paper
• Progress and Limitations in Forest Carbon Stock Estimation Using Remote Sensing Technologies: A Comprehensive Review

  2025cited by this paper
• Enhancing GEDI above ground biomass density estimates in contrasting forests of Pakistan

  2025cited by this paper
• Assessing canopy height measurements from ICESat-2 and GEDI orbiting LiDAR across six different biomes with G-LiHT LiDAR

  2024influential reference
• Multi-resolution gridded maps of vegetation structure from GEDI

  2024cited by this paper
• Optimizing GEDI Canopy Height Estimation and Analyzing Error Impact Factors Under Highly Complex Terrain and High-Density Vegetation Conditions

  2024cited by this paper
• Error Analysis and Accuracy Improvement in Forest Canopy Height Estimation Based on GEDI L2A Product: A Case Study in the United States

  2024influential reference
• Evaluating the Potential of Sentinel-2 Time Series Imagery and Machine Learning for Tree Species Classification in a Mountainous Forest

  2024influential reference
• Estimation of canopy height based on multi-source remote sensing data using forest structure aided sample selection

  2024cited by this paper
• Assessing the performance of NASA’s GEDI L4A footprint aboveground biomass density models using National Forest Inventory and airborne laser scanning data in Mediterranean forest ecosystems

  2023cited by this paper
• Satellite-based global maps are rarely used in forest reference levels submitted to the UNFCCC

  2023cited by this paper
• Forest Canopy Height Mapping by Synergizing ICESat-2, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Topographic Information Based on Machine Learning Methods

  2022cited by this paper
• Assessment of terrain elevation estimates from ICESat-2 and GEDI spaceborne LiDAR missions across different land cover and forest types

  2022cited by this paper
• Consistency analysis of forest height retrievals between GEDI and ICESat-2

  2022cited by this paper
• Spatially Continuous Mapping of Forest Canopy Height in Canada by Combining GEDI and ICESat-2 with PALSAR and Sentinel

  2022cited by this paper
• Fusing GEDI with earth observation data for large area aboveground biomass mapping

  2022cited by this paper
• Integration of VIIRS Observations with GEDI-Lidar Measurements to Monitor Forest Structure Dynamics from 2013 to 2020 across the Conterminous United States

  2022cited by this paper
• Combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Data for Tree Species Classification in a Central European Biosphere Reserve

  2022cited by this paper
• Mixed tropical forests canopy height mapping from spaceborne LiDAR GEDI and multisensor imagery using machine learning models

  2022cited by this paper
• A high-resolution canopy height model of the Earth

  2022influential reference
• Machine Learning Classification of Mediterranean Forest Habitats in Google Earth Engine Based on Seasonal Sentinel-2 Time-Series and Input Image Composition Optimisation

  2021cited by this paper
• Sentinel-1 SAR Backscatter Analysis Ready Data Preparation in Google Earth Engine

  2021cited by this paper
• Performance evaluation of GEDI and ICESat-2 laser altimeter data for terrain and canopy height retrievals

  2021influential reference
• ESA WorldCover 10 m 2020 v100

  2021cited by this paper
• Tropical Forest Canopy Structure and Change Assessment Using Landsat, GEDI, and Airborne Lidar Data

  2021cited by this paper
• Modelling lidar-derived estimates of forest attributes over space and time: A review of approaches and future trends

  2021cited by this paper
• Mapping tree species vulnerability to multiple threats as a guide to restoration and conservation of tropical dry forests

  2020cited by this paper
• Predicting into unknown space? Estimating the area of applicability of spatial prediction models

  2020cited by this paper
• Highly Local Model Calibration with a New GEDI LiDAR Asset on Google Earth Engine Reduces Landsat Forest Height Signal Saturation

  2020cited by this paper
• Evaluating the potential of full‐waveform lidar for mapping pan‐tropical tree species richness

  2020cited by this paper
• Towards mapping the diversity of canopy structure from space with GEDI

  2020cited by this paper
• Annual continuous fields of woody vegetation structure in the Lower Mekong region from 2000‐2017 Landsat time-series

  2019cited by this paper
• Estimation and Mapping of Forest Structure Parameters from Open Access Satellite Images: Development of a Generic Method with a Study Case on Coniferous Plantation

  2019cited by this paper
• Role of forest regrowth in global carbon sink dynamics

  2019cited by this paper
• Statistical properties of hybrid estimators proposed for GEDI—NASA’s global ecosystem dynamics investigation

  2019cited by this paper
• A comparison of resampling methods for remote sensing classification and accuracy assessment

  2018cited by this paper
• Improved mapping of forest type using spectral-temporal Landsat features

  2018cited by this paper
• Tree Species Classification with Multi-Temporal Sentinel-2 Data

  2018cited by this paper
• Sensitivity of Sentinel-1 Backscatter to Vegetation Dynamics: An Austrian Case Study

  2018cited by this paper
• Assessment of Land Cover Change and Its Impact on Changes in Soil Erosion Risk in Nepal

  2018cited by this paper
• Evaluation of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Scalable Classification of Tree Types and Tree Species Based on Sentinel-2 Data

  2018cited by this paper
• Potential of Sentinel-1 Data for Monitoring Temperate Mixed Forest Phenology

  2018cited by this paper
• Photon counting LiDAR: An adaptive ground and canopy height retrieval algorithm for ICESat-2 data

  2018cited by this paper
• Implementation of machine-learning classification in remote sensing: an applied review

  2018cited by this paper
• Large-area mapping of Canadian boreal forest cover, height, biomass and other structural attributes using Landsat composites and lidar plots

  2018cited by this paper
• TerraClimate, a high-resolution global dataset of monthly climate and climatic water balance from 1958–2015

  2018cited by this paper
• Forest mapping and species composition using supervised per pixel classification of Sentinel-2 imagery

  2018cited by this paper
• Generalized Hierarchical Model-Based Estimation for Aboveground Biomass Assessment Using GEDI and Landsat Data

  2018cited by this paper
• Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

  2017cited by this paper
• Using Multitemporal Sentinel-1 C-band Backscatter to Monitor Phenology and Classify Deciduous and Coniferous Forests in Northern Switzerland

  2017cited by this paper
• Lidar Aboveground Vegetation Biomass Estimates in Shrublands: Prediction, Uncertainties and Application to Coarser Scales

  2017cited by this paper
• Current remote sensing approaches to monitoring forest degradation in support of countries measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems for REDD+

  2017cited by this paper
• Mountains Under Pressure: Evaluating Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods in the Upper Himalayan Region of Nepal

  2016cited by this paper
• LiCHy: The CAF's LiDAR, CCD and Hyperspectral Integrated Airborne Observation System

  2016cited by this paper
• Random forest in remote sensing: A review of applications and future directions

  2016cited by this paper
• Mapping tree height distributions in Sub-Saharan Africa using Landsat 7 and 8 data

  2016cited by this paper
• The uncertainty of biomass estimates from modeled ICESat-2 returns across a boreal forest gradient

  2015cited by this paper
• National Forest Aboveground Biomass Mapping from ICESat/GLAS Data and MODIS Imagery in China

  2015cited by this paper
• Development of 2010 national land cover database for the Nepal.

  2015cited by this paper
• Aboveground carbon loss in natural and managed tropical forests from 2000 to 2012

  2015cited by this paper
• Measurement and monitoring needs, capabilities and potential for addressing reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation under REDD+

  2015cited by this paper
• Mapping forest canopy height globally with spaceborne lidar

  2011cited by this paper
• Advances in remote sensing technology and implications for measuring and monitoring forest carbon stocks and change

  2011cited by this paper
• Classification and regression trees

  2011cited by this paper
• A universal airborne LiDAR approach for tropical forest carbon mapping

  2011cited by this paper
• A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forests

  2011cited by this paper
• A global forest canopy height map from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System

  2010cited by this paper
• Estimating vegetation height and canopy cover from remotely sensed data with machine learning

  2010cited by this paper
• Estimating forest canopy height and terrain relief from GLAS waveform metrics

  2010cited by this paper
• Representative Rainfall thresholds for landslides in the Nepal Himalaya

  2008cited by this paper
• Forests and Climate Change: Forcings, Feedbacks, and the Climate Benefits of Forests

  2008cited by this paper
• A first map of tropical Africa’s above-ground biomass derived from satellite imagery

  2008cited by this paper
• The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

  2007cited by this paper
• Integration of lidar and Landsat ETM+ data for estimating and mapping forest canopy height

  2002cited by this paper
• Random Forests

  2001cited by this paper
• The annual net flux of carbon to the atmosphere from changes in land use 1850–1990*

  1999cited by this paper
• A comparison of vegetation indices over a global set of TM images for EOS-MODIS

  1997influential reference
• Decision tree classification of land cover from remotely sensed data

  1997cited by this paper
• Carbon Pools and Flux of Global Forest Ecosystems

  1994cited by this paper
• Relating forest biomass to SAR data

  1992cited by this paper
• Red and photographic infrared linear combinations for monitoring vegetation

  1979cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.