Detection of a Low-Relief 18th-Century British Siege Trench Using LiDAR Vegetation Penetration Capabilities at Fort Beausejour-Fort Cumberland National Historic Site, Canada

Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), a remote sensing data collection technique, has many applications in the field of archaeology, including aiding in the planning of field campaigns, mapping features beneath forest canopy, and providing an overview of broad, continuous features that may be indistinguishable on the ground. LiDAR was used to create a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) in a heavily vegetated area at Fort: Beausejour-Fort Cumberland National Historic Site, Canada. Previously undiscovered archaeological features were mapped that were related to the siege of the fort in 1755. Features that: could not be distinguished on the ground or through aerial photography were identified by overlaying hillshades of the DEM created with artificial illumination from various angles. LiDAR provides accurate digital topographic models with the additional benefit of mapping vertical surfaces in accurate detail below the forest canopy. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.