Monitoring of secondary forest succession on abandoned farmland using LiDAR point clouds

The purpose of the study was an assessment of LiDAR point clouds for automating the mapping of land use and land cover changes, mainly land abandonment and the process of secondary forest succession. Detailed information about land cover was determined based on airborne laser scanning data. The presented study focuses on the analysis of the spatial range and structure of vegetation. The study area was located in Milicz district in the voivodeship of Lower Silesia – the central west part of Poland. The areas of interest were parcels where agricultural land had been abandoned and forest succession processes had progressed. Analysis of the spatial range of the secondary forest succession was carried out using a reclassified nDSM. Reclassification of the nDSM was done using > 1 m, > 2 m and > 3 m for the pixel values, representing the height of vegetation above the ground. Parameters such as height of vegetation, standard deviation of height and cover density were calculated, to show the process of the increase in forest succession on abandoned agricultural land. The results confirmed a discrepancy between the cadastral data and the actual use of the plots. In the study area, more than three times as much forested and wooded area was detected than had been recorded in official databases. Analyses based on airborne laser scanning point clouds indicated significant diversity in the vertical and horizontal structure of vegetation. The results demonstrated gradual succession of greenery in the research area.