Coastal IFOA Forest Structure Analysis

The NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC) engaged the University of Newcastle to analyse Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) for monitoring forest conditions and biophysical outcomes. The analysis looked at the relationships between topographic position, fire severity and harvesting history, including harvest intensity.

The ALS data used was LiDAR LAS data captured across 540,000 hectares of NSW state forest. These included 27 state forests across 7 regions (Eden, Batemans Bay, Bulahdelah, Wauchope, Coffs Harbour, Styx River and Casino) across 3 separate capture years (2012, 2016 and 2023).

The LiDAR metrics developed include canopy top height, canopy coverage, canopy foliage density, and skew. The canopy top height and canopy cover LiDAR metrics displayed in this webmap were calculated at a 30 metre x 30 metre resolution.

Read the report here: Retrospective Analysis of Forest Structure Change: ALS Data Comparison and Interpretation

This webmap displays the spatial outputs of this project.

To leave feedback on your experience with this web site or its data, follow this link:

NRC Contact Page

To leave feedback on your experience with the Spatial Collaboration Portal, follow this link (account creation required) : Spatial Collaboration Portal Feedback

This webapp is part of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (Coastal IFOA) monitoring program.

Access API Metadata Portal Metadata Information Content TitleCoastal IFOA Forest Structure AnalysisContent TypeOtherDescriptionAirborne Laser Scanning (ALS) derived Canopy Height & Coverage Models and associated factors including Fire Extent and Severity, Year of Last Harvest and Landform Class across several study sites in NSW.Initial Publication Date31/08/2024Data Currency31/08/2024Data Update FrequencyOtherContent SourceFile TypeWeb Feature ServiceAttributionData Theme, Classification or Relationship to other DatasetsAccuracySpatial Reference System (dataset)GDA2020Spatial Reference System (web service)EPSG:4326WGS84 Equivalent ToGDA2020Spatial ExtentContent LineageData ClassificationUnclassifiedData Access PolicyOpenData QualityTerms and ConditionsCreative CommonsStandard and SpecificationData CustodianNSW Natural Resources CommissionPoint of ContactEmma Pearce (Emma.Pearce@nrc.nsw.gov.au)Data AggregatorData DistributorAdditional Supporting InformationTRIM Number