Improving urban forest management using remote sensing technologies along major transport corridors in Sydney, Australia

With global warming and extensive urbanization, it is essential to refine urban forest management models for larger areas, which retain the capacity for detailed monitoring of forest variability at very small, local levels. In Sydney, the effect of urban forest on surrounding areas is not clearly documented. This study aims to investigate trees along two long-established transport corridors in the Sydney Metropolitan Area, using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and Hyperspectral Imaging sensors. Integrating the two remote sensing technologies permitted rapid assessment of tree features including diversity of tree species, overall distributions and canopy parameters, even in small, inaccessible areas. Incorporating the same data in seasonal solar radiation models allowed shading analysis, which demonstrated the local variation of received radiation in the presence of trees and the respective contributions of evergreen and deciduous species. The shading impacts were significantly related to adjacent forest features. These studies highlighted the importance of trees around buildings and larger, taller trees that provided extensive shading. Remote sensing technologies can be used to indicate ways of planning shading and improving management and connectivity of all urban forest sub-systems. The basic management framework also allows inclusion of diverse data from multiple resources to enhance government decision-making.