Using Campus-wide LiDAR to Map and Characterize Understory at the University British Columbia Vancouver Campus

Despite its importance, understory vegetation is often ignored in current inventories of urban green spaces. The University of British Columbia (UBC) seeks to characterize understory vegetation on campus and apply strategies for mitigating the climate change effect in specific hot spot areas.

This study investigated the understory community of the UBC Vancouver campus by (1) mapping the height and height variation of the understory plant in the northern part of the UBC Vancouver campus by extracting campus-wide LiDAR data, and (2) generating complexity analysis near Saltwater residences based on field observation and height data retrieved from the LiDAR point cloud. Four metrics were identified to characterize understory structure complexity, including understory coverage, height variation, understory species diversity, and species rarity.