Individual tree and plot measurements using close-range digital photography and visible laser

良好的森林管理需要良好的管理工具和良好的森林清查数据。高效设计

Good forest management requires good management tools and good forest inventory data. Efficient design of forest inventories requires decisions regarding the number and spatial arrangement of sample plots as well as the type of sampling unit utilized. For most forest inventories in Canada, Bitterlich's angle count sampling (ACS) is used. ACS coupled with efficient subsampling of trees for detailed stem measurements is generally cost-effective and less prone to measurement bias and error than other commonly employed methods. In this proposal, a digital camera coupled with visible laser technology are used to obtain ACS samples and stem diameter measurements. ACS is applied to 360-degree panoramic photographs. Image analysis algorithms are proposed that will automate the detection and measurement of trees and field sampling techniques to correct for count biases due to hidden trees. The carbon sequestration potential of Canadian forests is an important component of the global carbon budget, the methods proposed will increase field efficiency and accuracy associated with forest inventory work in Canada. The improved inventory estimates will enable better accounting of carbon content within Canadian forests.