DERIVATION OF FOREST INVENTORY PARAMETERS FOR CARBON ESTIMATION USING TERRESTRIAL LIDAR

This research was conducted to derive forest sample plot inventory parameters from terrestrial LiDAR (T-LiDAR) for estimating above ground biomass (AGB)/carbon stocks in primary tropical rain forest. Inventory parameters of all sampled trees within circular plots of 500 m2 were collected from field observations while T-LiDAR data were acquired through multiple scanning using Reigl VZ-400 scanner. Pre-processing and registration of multiple scans were done in RSCAN PRO software. Point cloud constructing individual sampled tree was extracted and tree inventory parameters (diameter at breast height-DBH and tree height) were measured manually. AGB/carbon stocks were estimated using Chave et al., (2005) allometric equation. An average 80 % of sampled trees were detected from point cloud of the plots. The average of plots values of R2 and RMSE for manually measured DBHs were 0.95, 2.7 cm respectively. Similarly, the average of plots values of R2 and RMSE for manually measured trees heights were 0.77, 2.96 m respectively. The average value of AGB/carbon stocks estimated from field measurements and T-LiDAR manually derived DBHs and trees heights were 286 Mg ha-1 and 134 Mg ha−1; and 278 M ha-1 and 130 Mg ha−1 respectively. The R2 values for the estimated AGB and AGC were both 0.93 and corresponding RMSE values were 42.4 Mg ha−1 and 19.9 Mg  ha−1 respectively. AGB and AGC were estimated with 14.8 % accuracy.

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DERIVATION OF FOREST INVENTORY PARAMETERS FOR CARBON ESTIMATION USING TERRESTRIAL LIDAR

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprsarchives-xli-b8-677-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol XLI-B8 ◽

pp. 677-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Om Prakash Prasad Kalwar ◽

Yousif A. Hussin ◽

Michael J. C. Weir ◽

Yogendra K. Karna

Keyword(s):

Forest Inventory ◽

Point Cloud ◽

Tree Height ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Terrestrial Lidar ◽

Average Value ◽

Tree Inventory

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Nondestructive Estimation of the Above-Ground Biomass of Multiple Tree Species in Boreal Forests of China Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10110936 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 936 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chen ◽

Feng ◽

Chen ◽

Khan ◽

Lian

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Point Cloud ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Tree Height ◽

Point Cloud Data ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Cloud Data ◽

Non Destructive ◽

Multiple Tree

Above-ground biomass (AGB) plays a pivotal role in assessing a forest’s resource dynamics, ecological value, carbon storage, and climate change effects. The traditional methods of AGB measurement are destructive, time consuming and laborious, and an efficient, relatively accurate and non-destructive AGB measurement method will provide an effective supplement for biomass calculation. Based on the real biophysical and morphological structures of trees, this paper adopted a non-destructive method based on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point cloud data to estimate the AGBs of multiple common tree species in boreal forests of China, and the effects of differences in bark roughness and trunk curvature on the estimation of the diameter at breast height (DBH) from TLS data were quantitatively analyzed. We optimized the quantitative structure model (QSM) algorithm based on 100 trees of multiple tree species, and then used it to estimate the volume of trees directly from the tree model reconstructed from point cloud data, and to calculate the AGBs of trees by using specific basic wood density values. Our results showed that the total DBH and tree height from the TLS data showed a good consistency with the measured data, since the bias, root mean square error (RMSE) and determination coefficient (R2) of the total DBH were −0.8 cm, 1.2 cm and 0.97, respectively. At the same time, the bias, RMSE and determination coefficient of the tree height were −0.4 m, 1.3 m and 0.90, respectively. The differences of bark roughness and trunk curvature had a small effect on DBH estimation from point cloud data. The AGB estimates from the TLS data showed strong agreement with the reference values, with the RMSE, coefficient of variation of root mean square error (CV(RMSE)), and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) values of 17.4 kg, 13.6% and 0.97, respectively, indicating that this non-destructive method can accurately estimate tree AGBs and effectively calibrate new allometric biomass models. We believe that the results of this study will benefit forest managers in formulating management measures and accurately calculating the economic and ecological benefits of forests, and should promote the use of non-destructive methods to measure AGB of trees in China.

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Use Basal Diameter to Establish Mixed Species Allometric Equations Predicting Woody Stand Biomass in the Sudano-guinea Savannahs of Ngaoundere, Cameroon

Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International ◽

10.9734/jaeri/2020/v21i430137 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Mamadou Laminou Mal Amadou ◽

Halilou Ahmadou ◽

Ahmadou Ibrahim ◽

Tchindebe Alexandre ◽

Massai Tchima Jacob ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Height ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Information Criteria ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Leaf Biomass ◽

Allometric Relationships ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Basal Diameter ◽

Ground Biomass

Little information on allometric relationships for estimating stand biomass in the savannah of Cameroon was available. Allometric relationships for estimating stand biomass were investigated in the sudano-guinea savannah of Ngaoundere, Cameroon. A total of 90 individual woody from sixteen (16) contrasting plant species belonging shrubs and trees were harvested in Dang savannah across a range of diameter classes, from 3 to 35 cm. Basal diameter (D), total height (H) and tree density were determined and considered as predictor variables, while total above-ground biomass, stem, branch and leaf biomass were the output variables of the allometric models. Among many models tested, the best ones were chosen according to the coefficient of determination adjusted (R2adj), the residual standard error (RSE) and the Akaike Information Criteria. The main results showed that the integration of tree height and density with basal diameter improved in the degree of fitness of the allometric equations. The fit allometric stand biomass model for leaf, branch, stem and above ground biomass were the following forms: Ln(LB) = -5.08 + 2.75*Ln(D) – 0.30*Ln(D2Hρ); Ln(BB) = -7.81 + 1.29*Ln(D2H) – 0.39*Ln(ρ); Ln(SB) = -5.08 + 2.40*Ln(D) +0.50*Ln(H) and Ln(TB) = -5.07 + 3.21*Ln(D) – 0.12*Ln(D2Hρ) respectively. It is concluded that the use of tree height and density in the allometric equation can be improved for these species, as far as the present study area is concerned. Therefore, for estimating the biomass of shrubs and small trees, the use of basal diameter as an independent variable in the allometric equation with a power equation would be recommended in the Sudano-guinea savannahs of Ngaoundere, Cameroon. The paper describes details of shrub biomass allometry, which is important in carbon stock and savannah management for the environmental protection.

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Hand-Held Personal Laser Scanning

Croatian journal of forest engineering ◽

10.5552/crojfe.2021.858 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 165-183

Author(s):

Ivan Balenović ◽

Xinlian Liang ◽

Luka Jurjević ◽

Juha Hyyppä ◽

Ante Seletković ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Inventory ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Tree Height ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Research Knowledge ◽

Tree Detection ◽

Current State ◽

Pros And Cons ◽

Scanning Systems ◽

Initial Research

The emergence of hand-held Personal Laser Scanning (H-PLS) systems in recent years resulted in initial research on the possibility of its application in forest inventory, primarily for the estimation of the main tree attributes (e.g. tree detection, stem position, DBH, tree height, etc.). Research knowledge acquired so far can help to direct further research and eventually include H-PLS into operational forest inventory in the future. The main aims of this review are: - to present the current state of the art for H-PLS systems - briefly describe the fundamental concept and methods for H-PLS application in forest inventory - provide an overview of the results of previous studiesÞ emphasize pros and cons for H-PLS application in forest inventory in relation to conventional field measurements and other similar laser scanning systems - highlight the main issues that should be covered by further H-PLS-based forest inventory studies.

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Development of allometric relationships for estimate above ground biomass of trees in the tropical abandoned land

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d201207 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Karyati Karyati ◽

Kusno Yuli Widiati ◽

Karmini Karmini ◽

Rachmad Mulyadi

Keyword(s):

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Tree Height ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Allometric Relationships ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Study Objective ◽

Land Type ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Abandoned Land ◽

Abandoned Lands

Abstract. Karyati, Widiati KY, Karmini, Mulyadi R. 2019. Development of allometric relationships for estimate above ground biomass of trees in the tropical abandoned lands. Biodiversitas 20: 3508-3516. The abandoned lands have important role in the ecological function as well as carbon sequestration. The allometric equations to estimate above ground biomass in abandoned land are still limited available. This study objective was to develop allometric relationships between tree size variables (diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height) and leaf, branch, trunk, and total above ground biomass (TAGB) in abandoned land in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The correlation coefficients between stem DBH and tree height to leaf and branch indicating a relatively weak relationship. The moderately strong relationships were showed by DBH and tree height to trunk and TAGB. The specific allometric equation of above ground biomass for different land use and land type is needed to estimate the accurate TAGB in the site.

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Sensitivity of Above-Ground Biomass to Terrestrial LIDAR-Derived Tree Height in Berkelah Tropical Rainforest, Malaysia

Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing ◽

10.1007/s12524-019-00956-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 789-799

Author(s):

Agerie Nega Wassihun

Keyword(s):

Tropical Rainforest ◽

Tree Height ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Terrestrial Lidar ◽

Ground Biomass

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Measuring Individual Tree Diameter and Height Using GatorEye High-Density UAV-Lidar in an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest System

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12050863 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 863 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Ana Paula Dalla Corte ◽

Franciel Eduardo Rex ◽

Danilo Roberti Alves de Almeida ◽

Carlos Roberto Sanquetta ◽

Carlos A. Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Inventory ◽

Point Cloud ◽

Tree Height ◽

High Density ◽

Forest Plantations ◽

Density Point ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Total Height ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Mean Square Errors

Accurate forest parameters are essential for forest inventory. Traditionally, parameters such as diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height are measured in the field by level gauges and hypsometers. However, field inventories are usually based on sample plots, which, despite providing valuable and necessary information, are laborious, expensive, and spatially limited. Most of the work developed for remote measurement of DBH has used terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), which has high density point clouds, being an advantage for the accurate forest inventory. However, TLS still has a spatial limitation to application because it needs to be manually carried to reach the area of interest, requires sometimes challenging field access, and often requires a field team. UAV-borne (unmanned aerial vehicle) lidar has great potential to measure DBH as it provides much higher density point cloud data as compared to aircraft-borne systems. Here, we explore the potential of a UAV-lidar system (GatorEye) to measure individual-tree DBH and total height using an automatic approach in an integrated crop-livestock-forest system with seminal forest plantations of Eucalyptus benthamii. A total of 63 trees were georeferenced and had their DBH and total height measured in the field. In the high-density (>1400 points per meter squared) UAV-lidar point cloud, we applied algorithms (usually used for TLS) for individual tree detection and direct measurement of tree height and DBH. The correlation coefficients (r) between the field-observed and UAV lidar-derived measurements were 0.77 and 0.91 for DBH and total tree height, respectively. The corresponding root mean square errors (RMSE) were 11.3% and 7.9%, respectively. UAV-lidar systems have the potential for measuring relatively broad-scale (thousands of hectares) forest plantations, reducing field effort, and providing an important tool to aid decision making for efficient forest management. We recommend that this potential be explored in other tree plantations and forest environments.

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Assessment of temporal changes in aboveground forest tree biomass using aerial photographs and allometric equations

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-152 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2585-2594 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Avi Bar Massada ◽

Yohay Carmel ◽

Gilad Even Tzur ◽

José M Grünzweig ◽

Dan Yakir

Keyword(s):

Pinus Halepensis ◽

Forest Biomass ◽

Tree Height ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Tree Biomass ◽

Crown Diameter ◽

Biomass Dynamics

Studies of forest biomass dynamics typically use long-term forest inventory data, available in only a few places around the world. We present a method that uses photogrammetric measurements from aerial photographs as an alternative to time-series field measurements. We used photogrammetric methods to measure tree height and crown diameter, using four aerial photographs of Yatir Forest, a semi-arid forest in southern Israel, taken between 1978 and 2003. Height and crown-diameter measurements were transformed to biomass using an allometric equation generated from 28 harvested Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) trees. Mean tree biomass increased from 6.37 kg in 1978 to 97.01 kg in 2003. Mean plot biomass in 2003 was 2.48 kg/m2 and aboveground primary productivity over the study period ranged between 0.14 and 0.21 kg/m2 per year. There was systematic overestimation of tree height and systematic underestimation of crown diameter, which was corrected for at all time points between 1978 and 2003. The estimated biomass was significantly related to field-measured biomass, with an R2 value of 0.78. This method may serve as an alternative to field sampling for studies of forest biomass dynamics, assuming that there is sufficient spatial and temporal coverage of the investigated area using high-quality aerial photography, and that the tree tops are distinguishable in the photographs.

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Development and Performance Evaluation of a Very Low-Cost UAV-Lidar System for Forestry Applications

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13010077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 77

Author(s):

Tianyu Hu ◽

Xiliang Sun ◽

Yanjun Su ◽

Hongcan Guan ◽

Qianhui Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Inventory ◽

Low Cost ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Tree Height ◽

Flying Height ◽

Tree Level ◽

Forest Site ◽

Lidar System ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Gap Fraction

Accurate and repeated forest inventory data are critical to understand forest ecosystem processes and manage forest resources. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne light detection and ranging (lidar) systems have demonstrated effectiveness at deriving forest inventory attributes. However, their high cost has largely prevented them from being used in large-scale forest applications. Here, we developed a very low-cost UAV lidar system that integrates a recently emerged DJI Livox MID40 laser scanner (~$600 USD) and evaluated its capability in estimating both individual tree-level (i.e., tree height) and plot-level forest inventory attributes (i.e., canopy cover, gap fraction, and leaf area index (LAI)). Moreover, a comprehensive comparison was conducted between the developed DJI Livox system and four other UAV lidar systems equipped with high-end laser scanners (i.e., RIEGL VUX-1 UAV, RIEGL miniVUX-1 UAV, HESAI Pandar40, and Velodyne Puck LITE). Using these instruments, we surveyed a coniferous forest site and a broadleaved forest site, with tree densities ranging from 500 trees/ha to 3000 trees/ha, with 52 UAV flights at different flying height and speed combinations. The developed DJI Livox MID40 system effectively captured the upper canopy structure and terrain surface information at both forest sites. The estimated individual tree height was highly correlated with field measurements (coniferous site: R2 = 0.96, root mean squared error/RMSE = 0.59 m; broadleaved site: R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 1.63 m). The plot-level estimates of canopy cover, gap fraction, and LAI corresponded well with those derived from the high-end RIEGL VUX-1 UAV system but tended to have systematic biases in areas with medium to high canopy densities. Overall, the DJI Livox MID40 system performed comparably to the RIEGL miniVUX-1 UAV, HESAI Pandar40, and Velodyne Puck LITE systems in the coniferous site and to the Velodyne Puck LITE system in the broadleaved forest. Despite its apparent weaknesses of limited sensitivity to low-intensity returns and narrow field of view, we believe that the very low-cost system developed by this study can largely broaden the potential use of UAV lidar in forest inventory applications. This study also provides guidance for the selection of the appropriate UAV lidar system and flight specifications for forest research and management.

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Allometric Equations for Estimating Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Afforested Open Woodlands with Black Spruce and Jack Pine, in the Eastern Canadian Boreal Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12010059 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Olivier Fradette ◽

Charles Marty ◽

Pascal Tremblay ◽

Daniel Lord ◽

Jean-François Boucher

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Tree Height ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

C Stocks ◽

The Difference ◽

Canadian Boreal Forest

Allometric equations use easily measurable biometric variables to determine the aboveground and belowground biomasses of trees. Equations produced for estimating the biomass within Canadian forests at a large scale have not yet been validated for eastern Canadian boreal open woodlands (OWs), where trees experience particular environmental conditions. In this study, we harvested 167 trees from seven boreal OWs in Quebec, Canada for biomass and allometric measurements. These data show that Canadian national equations accurately predict the whole aboveground biomass for both black spruce and jack pine trees, but underestimated branches biomass, possibly owing to a particular tree morphology in OWs relative to closed-canopy stands. We therefore developed ad hoc allometric equations based on three power models including diameter at breast height (DBH) alone or in combination with tree height (H) as allometric variables. Our results show that although the inclusion of H in the model yields better fits for most tree compartments in both species, the difference is minor and does not markedly affect biomass C stocks at the stand level. Using these newly developed equations, we found that carbon stocks in afforested OWs varied markedly among sites owing to differences in tree growth and species. Nine years after afforestation, jack pine plantations had accumulated about five times more carbon than black spruce plantations (0.14 vs. 0.80 t C·ha−1), highlighting the much larger potential of jack pine for OW afforestation projects in this environment.

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