Shrubs provide key habitat for various wildlife species of concern. Direct detection of shrubs through forest overstory is a major challenge for LiDAR. This project evaluates the ability of airborne and drone LiDAR to map understory cover in mixed deciduous/evergreen forests in Rhode Island. Airborne and drone LiDAR were validated using a terrestrial laser scanner and vegetation plots. We found airborne and drone LiDAR to detect understory cover with an accuracy of 77% and 86% respectively.
