Using LiDAR to Assess Aboveground Carbon Stored in Tropical Rain Forests

Figure 2 (below): Example of LiDAR-derived digital canopy model (DCM) with plantations and old-growth forest plots. The CSU Geospatial Review is on the Web at www.calstate.edu/gis A lthough a comprehensive global agreement to limit carbon emissions did not emerge from the December 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, there was broad agreement on, and $3.5 billion of initial funding pledged for, the U.N. initiative called “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)”. Roughly 15-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the cutting of forests for timber and agricultural expansion, mostly in tropical countries.