<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Thinning cuttings create moderate disturbances in forest stands. Thinning intensity indicates the amount of felled wood relative to the initial standing volume. We used sparse point clouds from airborne lidar measurements carried out in 2008 and 2012 at Aegviidu test site, Estonia, to study stand level relationships of thinning intensity to the changes in canopy cover and ALS-based wood volume estimates. Thinning intensity (<italic>K</italic>r, HRV) was estimated from forest inventory data and harvester measurements of removed wood volume. The thinning intensity ranged from 17% to 56%. By raising threshold from 1.3 m to 8.0 m over ground surface we observed less canopy cover change, but stronger correlation with thinning intensity. Correlation between ALS-based and harvester-based thinning intensity was moderate. The ALS-based thinning intensity estimate was systematically smaller than <italic>K</italic>r, HRV. Forest height growth compensates for a small decrease in canopy cover and intensity estimates for weak thinnings are not reliable using sparse point clouds and a four-year measurement interval.</abstract>

Thinning cuttings create moderate disturbances in forest stands. Thinning intensity indicates the amount of felled wood relative to the initial standing volume. We used sparse point clouds from airborne lidar measurements carried out in 2008 and 2012 at Aegviidu test site, Estonia, to study stand level relationships of thinning intensity to the changes in canopy cover and ALS-based wood volume estimates. Thinning intensity (Kr, HRV) was estimated from forest inventory data and harvester measurements of removed wood volume. The thinning intensity ranged from 17% to 56%. By raising threshold from 1.3 m to 8.0 m over ground surface we observed less canopy cover change, but stronger correlation with thinning intensity. Correlation between ALS-based and harvester-based thinning intensity was moderate. The ALS-based thinning intensity estimate was systematically smaller than Kr, HRV. Forest height growth compensates for a small decrease in canopy cover and intensity estimates for weak thinnings are not reliable using sparse point clouds and a four-year measurement interval.

Assessment of forest thinning intensity using sparse point clouds from repeated airborne lidar measurements

Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering

Forestry Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Thinning cuttings create moderate disturbances in forest stands. Thinning intensity indicates the amount of felled wood relative to the initial standing...

Assessment of forest thinning intensity using sparse point clouds from repeated airborne lidar measurements

Published Online: Jan 25, 2019

Page range: 40 - 50

Received: Oct 14, 2018

Accepted: Oct 29, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fsmu-2018-0004

Keywords
forest management, canopy cover change, multitemporal laser scanning

© 2018 Mait Lang et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Assessment of forest thinning intensity using sparse point clouds from repeated airborne lidar measurements

Published Online: Jan 25, 2019

Page range: 40 - 50

Received: Oct 14, 2018

Accepted: Oct 29, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fsmu-2018-0004

Keywordsforest management, canopy cover change, multitemporal laser scanning

© 2018 Mait Lang et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
forest management, canopy cover change, multitemporal laser scanning