<b>HYPERSPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FOREST HEALTH</b>
Creators: name: Park, Sylvia
Publisher: name: Purdue University Graduate School
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 300704
subject: Forest health and pathology
classificationCode: 300707
subject: Forestry management and environment

description: Reflectance spectroscopy has been increasingly used in forestry due to its ability to rapidly, efficiently, and non-destructively detect tree stress, enabling timely and cost-effective forest management decisions. This dissertation synthesizes three studies and five experiments to understand and improve our ability to use spectral data to estimate a variety of foliar physiochemical traits and identify spectral responses in multi-stress environments, thus, advancing our understanding and application of hyperspectral data in forest management.The first study seeks to refine the hyperspectral approach to monitoring tree stress by selecting optimal wavelength ranges to enhance the estimation of foliar traits, such as CO<sub>2</sub> assimilation rate, specific leaf area, leaf water content, and concentrations of foliar nitrogen, sugars, and gallic acid. The study revealed that model performance varied significantly across the different wavelength ranges tested and consistently, including longer wavelength regions improved trait estimation for all traits modeled. This research also established a framework for discovering novel or previously unknown absorption features associated with functional traits, thereby laying the groundwork for expanded spectral applications. This advancement enables the estimation of diverse foliar traits and facilitates detailed stress detection in trees.The second study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of hyperspectral data in estimating foliar functional trait responses to various biotic and abiotic stressors and to differentiate those stressors in black walnut (<i>Juglans nigra </i>L.) and red oak (<i>Quercus rubra</i> L.) seedlings. We demonstrated that spectral data can reliably estimate a wide range of foliar traits, highlighting its potential as a surrogate for reference data in understanding plant responses to stress. This research revealed that spectral leaf predictions can effectively provide stress-specific insights into tree physiochemical responses to biotic and abiotic stressors.The third study explores the application of hyperspectral reflectance to identify drought-induced foliar responses in black walnut seedlings during their initial field establishment. Chemometric models developed from greenhouse experiments were applied to spectral data collected in the field to assess their transferability and accuracy in predicting various leaf traits under drought stress. Using only spectral data, we demonstrated that seedlings show distinct spectral responses to past and ongoing drought stress, with varying degrees depending on seed provenances. This research aims to provide practical insights for utilizing spectral analysis in real-world conditions and understanding the challenges of using spectral tools in the field.Collectively, this dissertation demonstrates the robust potential of hyperspectral reflectance technology in advancing the monitoring of tree health. By optimizing spectral range selection, reliably estimating tree foliar traits under stress conditions, differentiating various stressors in controlled environments, and effectively detecting current and past drought stress in field conditions, this research offers valuable insights for improving forest health monitoring and management strategies in response to environmental challenges.