Remote Sensing of Forest Structure and Dynamics in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument

The structure of tropical forests provides globally important information about carbon storage and dynamics, but ground measurements remain relatively sparse. Remote sensing instruments have the ability to characterize ecosystem structure over broad extents. Many studies have taken advantage of abundant field data in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM) to develop remote sensing methods for tropical forest structure and dynamics. In turn, remote sensing has provided insight into ecological processes across the BCNM landscape. Lidar and photogrammetry data indicate that BCNM secondary forests, although approximately 100 years old, not only continue to increase in height and biomass but also have lower disturbance rates than old-growth forests. Soil types and topographic variation also influence large-scale patterns of biomass through effects on disturbance rates. The ecological value of airborne and satellite remote sensing monitoring programs is expected to increase with advances in automated data processing methods in the coming years.