Examination of uncertainty in per unit area estimates of aboveground biomass using terrestrial LiDAR and ground data

In estimating aboveground forest biomass (AGB), three sources of error that interact and propagate include (i) measurement error, the quality of the tree-level measurement data used as inputs for the individual-tree equations; (ii) model error, the uncertainty about the equations of the individual trees; and (iii) sampling error, the uncertainty due to having obtained a probabilistic or purposive sample, rather than a census, of the trees on a given area of forest land. Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine measurement, model, and sampling errors and to compare total uncertainty between models and between a phase-based terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and traditional forest inventory instruments. Input variables for the equations were diameter at breast height, total tree height (defined the height from the uphill side of the tree to the tree top), and height to crown base; these were extracted from the terrestrial LiDAR data. Relative contributions for measurement, model, and sampling errors were 5...

[1]  Hailemariam Temesgen,et al.  Forest Measurement and Biometrics in Forest Management: Status and Future Needs of the Pacific Northwest USA , 2007 .

[2]  H. Andersen,et al.  Tree species differentiation using intensity data derived from leaf-on and leaf-off airborne laser scanner data , 2009 .

[3]  N. Pfeifer,et al.  Three-dimensional reconstruction of stems for assessment of taper, sweep and lean based on laser scanning of standing trees , 2004 .

[4]  Jerome K. Vanclay,et al.  Forest Growth and Yield Modeling , 2011 .

[5]  H. Spiecker,et al.  Non Destructive Method for Biomass Prediction Combining TLS Derived Tree Volume and Wood Density , 2015 .

[6]  Terje Gobakken,et al.  Estimating single-tree branch biomass of Norway spruce with terrestrial laser scanning using voxel-based and crown dimension features , 2013 .

[7]  Thomas Udelhoven,et al.  The influence of scan mode and circle fitting on tree stem detection, stem diameter and volume extraction from terrestrial laser scans , 2013 .

[8]  P. Radtke,et al.  Detailed Stem Measurements of Standing Trees from Ground-Based Scanning Lidar , 2006, Forest Science.

[9]  Rachel Opitz,et al.  Airborne Laser Scanning , 2013 .

[10]  Robert C. Wolpert,et al.  A Review of the , 1985 .

[11]  Petteri Packalen,et al.  Airborne laser scanning-based prediction of coarse woody debris volumes in a conservation area , 2008 .

[12]  P. Radtke,et al.  Ground-based Laser Imaging for Assessing Three-dimensional Forest Canopy Structure , 2006 .

[13]  Oscar García,et al.  Evaluating forest Growth Models , 1997 .

[14]  M. Vastaranta,et al.  Stem biomass estimation based on stem reconstruction from terrestrial laser scanning point clouds , 2013 .

[15]  John Sessions,et al.  A review of the challenges and opportunities in estimating above ground forest biomass using tree-level models , 2015 .

[16]  Laura Chasmer,et al.  Investigating laser pulse penetration through a conifer canopy by integrating airborne and terrestrial lidar , 2006 .

[17]  Hans Petersson,et al.  Quantifying the Model-Related Variability of Biomass Stock and Change Estimates in the Norwegian National Forest Inventory , 2014 .

[18]  G. E. Forden,et al.  The airborne laser , 1997 .

[19]  Woo-Kyun Lee,et al.  Estimating Crown Variables of Individual Trees Using Airborne and Terrestrial Laser Scanners , 2011, Remote. Sens..

[20]  Juha Hyyppä,et al.  Automated Stem Curve Measurement Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[21]  Jakob Weiss,et al.  Application and statistical analysis of terrestrial laser scanning and forest growth simulations to determine selected characteristics of Douglas-Fir stands. , 2009 .

[22]  Hans-Gerd Maas,et al.  Automatic forest inventory parameter determination from terrestrial laser scanner data , 2008 .

[23]  H. Temesgen,et al.  Evaluation of sampling strategies to estimate crown biomass , 2015, Forest Ecosystems.

[24]  A. Bienert,et al.  APPLICATION OF TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNERS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FOREST INVENTORY PARAMETRS , 2006 .

[25]  T. Hilker,et al.  Comparison of uncertainty in per unit area estimates of aboveground biomass for two selected model sets , 2015 .

[26]  G. Baskerville.  Use of Logarithmic Regression in the Estimation of Plant Biomass , 1972 .

[27]  Ronald E. McRoberts,et al.  Effects of uncertainty in model predictions of individual tree volume on large area volume estimates , 2014 .

[28]  S. Popescu,et al.  A voxel-based lidar method for estimating crown base height for deciduous and pine trees , 2008 .

[29]  C. Hopkinson,et al.  Assessing forest metrics with a ground-based scanning lidar , 2004 .

[30]  M. Herold,et al.  Nondestructive estimates of above‐ground biomass using terrestrial laser scanning , 2015 .

[31]  Ronald E. McRoberts,et al.  Effects of Measurement Errors on Individual Tree Stem Volume Estimates for the Austrian National Forest Inventory , 2014 .

[32]  H. Temesgen,et al.  Methods for estimating aboveground biomass and its components for Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine trees , 2016 .