Laser scanning technology which accurately describes and measures – or ‘phenotypes’-individual trees is advancing rapidly. Forest managers and tree breeders are keen to adopt automated systems because of their relative speed and objectivity, but need to be certain that the systems are accurate.
Scion researchers Robin Hartley and Sadeepa Jayathunga are working to validate the accuracy of laser scanners, and compared a backpack-mounted Hovermap scanner and UAV-mounted scanner with field measurements within three contrasting forest types. The Hovermap creates 3D models called point clouds at densities in excess of 20,000 ppm2 – much higher density than other available technologies.
“The backpack scanner measures tree diameters and stem volumes very accurately; canopy height measurements are also very accurate, although measuring suppressed tree heights is more challenging,”says Robin. Robin is also making good progress in using laser technology to describe branching–another fundamental element of tree phenotyping.
“The end game here is to develop a freely available set of phenotyping resources that can be used by forest managers and others,” says Robin. Robin leads the pan- industry Tools for Foresters group, who use and develop forestry technology and collaborate to share information and resources.
Collaborators: Manulife Investment Management Ltd; Timberlands Ltd; NZ Forest Managers Ltd.
