Wind damage is known for causing threats to sustainable forest management and yield value in boreal forests. Information about wind damage risk can aid forest managers in understanding and possibly mitigating damage impacts especially when wind damage events have increased in recent years.The objective of this research was to better understand and quantify drivers of wind damage, and to map the probability of wind damage and to provide information that could be used to support decision making in forest management planning, as well as in other sectors (e.g. electricity companies). To accomplish this, we used open-access airborne scanning light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. LiDAR data can provide wall-to-wall coverage and are best suited for monitoring of the dominant trees. In addition multitemporal LiDAR is highly capable of monitoring abiotic tree or stand level changes. The LiDAR data used are openly accessible for public from NLS and are mainly used for generating digital terrain model (DTM). Potential drivers associated with the probability of wind-induced forest damage were examined using a multivariate logistic regression model which was well suited to the discrete nature of the dependent variable (i.e., damage, no damage) and it has been used widely in the modelling of forest disturbances. Risk model predictors related to topography and vegetation height were extracted from the LiDAR-derived surface models such as DTM and canopy height model (CHM). The strongest predictors in the risk model were mean canopy height and mean elevation. Damaged sample grid cells covered 45,6% of the entire sample and they were mainly dominated by Norway spruce. CHM mean and maximum were higher in damaged sample cells which can be expected to correlate with the result where mean volume was also larger in damaged sample cells than in undamaged. Regression model output was a continuous probability surface whereby the probability for wind damage is interpreted as risk (e.g. areas with high probability of wind damage can be described as high risk areas). With increasing frequency of wind damage events, there is a need to identify areas of high wind damage risk. The selected predictor variables, mean elevation describing local topography and mean canopy height, can provide valuable information on the damage probability (i.e. risk) in a robust way.
Optimal forest rotation under carbon pricing and forest damage risk
