Enhancing wall-to-wall forest structure mapping through detailed co-registration of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning data in Mediterranean forests

2021 ◽  
pp. 101497
Author(s):  
Puletti Nicola ◽  
Grotti Mirko ◽  
Masini Andrea ◽  
Bracci Andrea ◽  
Ferrara Carlotta
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Structure Mapping

scholarly journals Global patterns and climatic controls of forest structural complexity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Ehbrecht ◽  
Dominik Seidel ◽  
Peter Annighöfer ◽  
Holger Kreft ◽  
Michael Köhler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Latitudinal Patterns ◽  
Global Patterns ◽  
Primary Forests

AbstractThe complexity of forest structures plays a crucial role in regulating forest ecosystem functions and strongly influences biodiversity. Yet, knowledge of the global patterns and determinants of forest structural complexity remains scarce. Using a stand structural complexity index based on terrestrial laser scanning, we quantify the structural complexity of boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical primary forests. We find that the global variation of forest structural complexity is largely explained by annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality (R² = 0.89). Using the structural complexity of primary forests as benchmark, we model the potential structural complexity across biomes and present a global map of the potential structural complexity of the earth´s forest ecoregions. Our analyses reveal distinct latitudinal patterns of forest structure and show that hotspots of high structural complexity coincide with hotspots of plant diversity. Considering the mechanistic underpinnings of forest structural complexity, our results suggest spatially contrasting changes of forest structure with climate change within and across biomes.

scholarly journals Detecting Changes in Forest Structure over Time with Bi-Temporal Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinlian Liang ◽  
Juha Hyyppä ◽  
Harri Kaartinen ◽  
Markus Holopainen ◽  
Timo Melkas
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Over Time

scholarly journals Using terrestrial laser scanning to constrain forest ecosystem structure and functions in the Ecosystem Demography model (ED2.2)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félicien Meunier ◽  
Sruthi M. Krishna Moorthy ◽  
Marc Peaucelle ◽  
Kim Calders ◽  
Louise Terryn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Area Index

Abstract. Terrestrial Biosphere Modeling (TBM) is an invaluable approach for studying plant-atmosphere interactions at multiple spatial and temporal scales, as well as the global change impacts on ecosystems. Yet, TBM projections suffer from large uncertainties that limit their usefulness. A large part of this uncertainty arises from the empirical allometric (size-tomass) relationships that are used to represent forest structure in TBMs. Forest structure actually drives a large part of TBM uncertainty as it regulates key processes such as the transfer of carbon, energy, and water between the land and atmosphere, but remains challenging to measure and reliably represent. The poor representation of forest structure in TBMs results in models that are able to reproduce observed land fluxes, but which fail to realistically represent carbon pools, forest composition, and demography. Recent advances in Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) techniques offer a huge opportunity to capture the three-dimensional structure of the ecosystem and transfer this information to TBMs in order to increase their accuracy. In this study, we quantified the impacts of integrating structural observations of individual trees (namely tree height, leaf area, woody biomass, and crown area) derived from TLS into the state-of-the-art Ecosystem Demography model (ED2.2) at a temperate forest site. We assessed the relative model sensitivity to initial conditions, allometric parameters, and canopy representation by changing them in turn from default configurations to site-specific, TLS-derived values. We show that forest demography and productivity as modelled by ED2.2 are sensitive to the imposed initial state, the model structural parameters, and the way canopy is represented. In particular, we show that: 1) the imposed openness of the canopy dramatically influenced the potential vegetation, the optimal ecosystem leaf area, and the vertical distribution of light in the forest, as simulated by ED2.2; 2) TLS-derived allometric parameters increased simulated leaf area index and aboveground biomass by 57 and 75 %, respectively; 3) the choice of model structure and allometric coefficient both significantly impacted the optimal set of parameters necessary to reproduce eddy covariance flux data.

Terrestrial laser scanning reveals below-canopy bat trait relationships with forest structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 198 ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel V. Blakey ◽  
Brad S. Law ◽  
Richard T. Kingsford ◽  
Jakub Stoklosa
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning

scholarly journals The terrestrial laser scanning revolution in forest ecology

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 20180001 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mark Danson ◽  
Mathias I. Disney ◽  
Rachel Gaulton ◽  
Crystal Schaaf ◽  
Alan Strahler
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Ecology ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Dimensional Measurements ◽  
And Function ◽  
Ecosystem Structure And Function

New laser scanning technologies are set to revolutionize the way in which we measure and understand changes in ecosystem structure and function. Forest ecosystems present a particular challenge because of their scale, complexity and structural dynamics. Traditional forestry techniques rely on manual measurement of easy-to-measure characteristics such as tree girth and height, along with time-consuming, logistically difficult and error-prone destructive sampling. Much more detailed and accurate three-dimensional measurements of forest structure and composition are key to reducing errors in biomass estimates and carbon dynamics and to better understanding the role of forests in global ecosystem and climate change processes. Terrestrial laser scanners are now starting to be deployed in forest ecology research and, at the same time, new terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technologies are being developed to enhance and extend the range of measurements that can be made. These new TLS measurements provide a tantalizing glimpse of a completely new way to measure and understand forest structure. It is therefore a good time to take stock, assess the state of the art and identify the immediate challenges for continued development of TLS in forest ecology.

scholarly journals Estimating Mangrove Forest Volume Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning and UAV-Derived Structure-from-Motion

Drones ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus D. Warfield ◽  
Javier X. Leon
Keyword(s):  
Structure From Motion ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Mangrove Forest ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Non Destructive

Mangroves provide a variety of ecosystem services, which can be related to their structuralcomplexity and ability to store carbon in the above ground biomass (AGB). Quantifying AGB inmangroves has traditionally been conducted using destructive, time-consuming, and costlymethods, however, Structure-from-Motion Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) combined withunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery may provide an alternative. Here, we compared the abilityof SfM-MVS with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to capture forest structure and volume in threemangrove sites of differing stand age and species composition. We describe forest structure in termsof point density, while forest volume is estimated as a proxy for AGB using the surface differencingmethod. In general, SfM-MVS poorly captured mangrove forest structure, but was efficient incapturing the canopy height for volume estimations. The differences in volume estimations betweenTLS and SfM-MVS were higher in the juvenile age site (42.95%) than the mixed (28.23%) or mature(12.72%) age sites, with a higher stem density affecting point capture in both methods. These resultscan be used to inform non-destructive, cost-effective, and timely assessments of forest structure orAGB in mangroves in the future.

scholarly journals Terrestrial Laser Scanning to Detect Liana Impact on Forest Structure

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sruthi Krishna Moorthy ◽  
Kim Calders ◽  
Manfredo di Porcia e Brugnera ◽  
Stefan Schnitzer ◽  
Hans Verbeeck
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning

scholarly journals The Potential of Multispectral Imagery and 3D Point Clouds from Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) for Monitoring Forest Structure and the Impacts of Wildfire in Mediterranean-Climate Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 3810
Author(s):  
Sean Reilly ◽  
Matthew L. Clark ◽  
Lisa Patrick Bentley ◽  
Corbin Matley ◽  
Elise Piazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
3D Point Clouds

Wildfire shapes vegetation assemblages in Mediterranean ecosystems, such as those in the state of California, United States. Successful restorative management of forests in-line with ecologically beneficial fire regimes relies on a thorough understanding of wildfire impacts on forest structure and fuel loads. As these data are often difficult to comprehensively measure on the ground, remote sensing approaches can be used to estimate forest structure and fuel load parameters over large spatial extents. Here, we analyze the capabilities of one such methodology, unoccupied aerial system structure from motion (UAS-SfM) from digital aerial photogrammetry, for mapping forest structure and wildfire impacts in the Mediterranean forests of northern California. To determine the ability of UAS-SfM to map the structure of mixed oak and conifer woodlands and to detect persistent changes caused by fire, we compared UAS-SfM derived metrics of terrain height and canopy structure to pre-fire airborne laser scanning (ALS) measurements. We found that UAS-SfM was able to accurately capture the forest’s upper-canopy structure, but was unable to resolve mid- and below-canopy structure. The addition of a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) ground point filter to the DTM generation process improved DTM root-mean-square error (RMSE) by ~1 m with an overall DTM RMSE of 2.12 m. Upper-canopy metrics (max height, 95th percentile height, and 75th percentile height) were highly correlated between ALS and UAS-SfM (r > +0.9), while lower-canopy metrics and metrics of density and vertical variation had little to no similarity. Two years after the 2017 Sonoma County Tubbs fire, we found significant decreases in UAS-SfM metrics of bulk canopy height and NDVI with increasing burn severity, indicating the lasting impact of the fire on vegetation health and structure. These results point to the utility of UAS-SfM as a monitoring tool in Mediterranean forests, especially for post-fire canopy changes and subsequent recovery.

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