Laser scanning for forest structure analysis

Terrestrial laser scanning is one of the most recent technological advancements within the spatial science industry. Its current use within the forest analysis field is limited. Collecting data to create a forest inventory can be a long and strenuous process with current procedures relying on outdated and inefficient techniques. Terrestrial laser scanning is a technique that has the potential to greatly enhance this data collection process. In this study, a forested area of 6700m2 in eastern Toowoomba has been scanned to extract tree height, diameter at breast height, basal area and volume. The same data has been collected using contemporary techniques so that terrestrial laser scanning’s suitability can be assessed. The measured components were compared and discrepancies were identified. When compared to traditional methods, laser scanning overestimated height by 0.196m (2.42%). Diameter at breast height, basal area and volume were all underestimated by 0.061m (13.33%), 0.044m2 (24.35%) and 0.374m3 (22.47%) respectively. The differences in height and diameter at breast height are acceptable. The differences in excess of 20%, namely basal area and volume, are unacceptable with further research required to identify both the cause and the solution