Riparian zone delineation using LiDAR data?

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of building a conservation priority planning model and part of that requires that I build a buffer around river features, so that I can then determine which land parcels fall within this buffer. Previous work on this model built a simple 1km buffer around river features but I want to improve on that by delineating a buffer, using LiDAR data, that traces the edges of the river riparian zone/river escarpment. I'm using bare ground LiDAR data and have access to ArcGIS 10.2.

Any help figuring out how to build this buffer would be appreciated. Once I get it working I plan to build it into a model so the process can be applied to a larger study area.


Thanks in advance,


Jeremy