LiDAR data to maximise the efficiency of inventory plots

Forestry managers and inventory surveys need accurate plantation attributes in order to extract the most precise information using the smallest number of plots. New Australian research, funded by FWPA, has utilised the most current and accurate Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to aid in the estimation of standing timber volume in softwood plantations.  The project, which expanded on previous findings into LiDAR use in softwood plantations, quantified the potential efficiencies in using LiDAR and has developed analytical and software solutions that enable plantation management companies to integrate LiDAR-derived information into their yield regulation systems.

Thus demonstrating that the imputation models are able to predict many commercially valuable parameters that will be able to match the accuracy of conventional systems.

Field measurements from Pinus radiata plantations in New South Wales were used to form statistical models and simulate populations of inventory plots. Plot simulations were then run using a variety of sampling strategies to calculate the benefits from using LiDAR data. 

Results suggest that using model-based or model-assisted estimators, when compared to using traditional inventory surveys, could increase relative efficiencies two-fold. The use of LiDAR data as an aid to survey design produces marked efficiency gains compared to traditional inventory methods.

Click here for source (New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science)

FWPA Report: Operational deployment of LiDAR derived information into softwood resource systems

Photo: Page 75 of FWPA Report