An electromagnetic scattering model for tree trunks over a tilted rough ground plane

Remote sensing of forest canopies is dominated by the interaction between tree trunks and ground at lower microwave frequencies and/or when the crown layer is tenuous. An efficient and complete electromagnetic scattering model for tree trunks above a tilted rough ground plane has been performed and enhanced. The individual trunks are modelled as finite-length stratified cylinders, with an external corrugated bark layer. The ground plane is modelled as a rough dielectric half space underlying the cylinders. Realistic natural conditions can be simulated by properly setting the parameters of this model. Results have been computed for the mean square error of the bistatic scattering pattern, by means of a Monte-Carlo simulation.