Reliable information on the optical properties of leaves and needles is needed for parameterization of radiative transfer models and interpretation of remotely sensed data. The optical properties also convey information about the structure and biochemical constituents of the leaf or needle tissues, and can be linked to the photosynthetic processes of plants. Currently, very little is known about the optical properties of tree species in the European boreal zone. To bridge this gap, we measured directional-hemispherical reflectance and transmittance factors of the three most common tree species in this zone: Scots pine, Norway spruce and Silver birch. The measurements covered a wide spectral range from 350 to 2500 nm with a high spectral resolution of 3–10 nm. To explore the driving factors of the observed leaf-level optical properties, supplementary measurements of structural and biochemical traits of leaves and needles were made. The results showed that the transmittance of pine and spruce needles is clearly lower than reflectance, whereas for birch reflectance and transmittance were similar. In conifers, exposed needles had higher albedo than the shaded needles. Also, the spectra of needles were more dependent on canopy position than the spectra of birch leaves. The relationships between narrowband reflectances and chlorophyll and nitrogen percentage concentrations and specific leaf area were similar for all species, but the strongest correlations were observed for birch.

Coniferous species are present in almost all major vegetation biomes on Earth, though they are the most abundant in the northern hemisphere, where they form the northern tree and forest lines close to the Arctic Circle. Monitoring coniferous forests with satellite and airborne remote sensing is active, due to the forests’ great ecological and economic importance. We review the current understanding of spectral behavior of different components forming coniferous forests. We look at the spatial, directional, and seasonal variations in needle, shoot, woody element, and understory spectra in coniferous forests, based on measurements. Through selected case studies, we also demonstrate how coniferous canopy spectra vary at different spatial scales, and in different viewing angles and seasons. Finally, we provide a synthesis of gaps in the current knowledge on spectra of elements forming coniferous forests that could also serve as a recommendation for planning scientific efforts in the future.

Boreal forests exhibit strong seasonal dynamics in their reflectance spectra during the short, snow-free growing period. This short communication paper reports an analysis of the seasonality of boreal forest spectra from the end of snowmelt until the time of maximal leaf area. We apply a forest reflectance model (FRT) to estimate the seasonal contribution of understory vegetation to forest reflectance froma time series of three Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) Hyperion images acquired in May, June and July. The reflectance simulations are based on detailed seasonal series of leaf area index and understory spectra measurements carried out in ten stands at the Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station in Finland. Our results showthat the contribution of understory to boreal forest reflectance is high in the visible domain, but it drops at the red edge and stays relatively low and constant in near infrared (NIR). Throughout the growing season, the contribution of the understory remains approximately the same in the NIR domain, whereas larger changes can be observed in the visible domain.Peer reviewe