Assessing genetic gains in coastal Douglas-fir using advanced remote sensing

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Understanding sources of wood supply is critical for sustainable forest management in Canada. Critical to thisis the selection of the optimum seed for regeneration which involves selecting the best genotypes to ensuremaximum target growth, yield attributes and climate adaptation. British Columbia is a leader in breeding trialsfor a number of key forest timber species, such as Douglas-fir, yet assessment of the elite trees in the field,while an integral component of all tree improvement programs, represents a very extensive, expensive, andtime consuming activity. Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a recent remote sensingtechnology that has proven extremely valuable in forestry applications. By utilizing super-dense airborneLiDAR data from both aircraft and drones, we will extract elite trees and derive extremely detailed information on tree height, crown size and shape, branching and foliage area. We will utilize these attributes to then assess how these genetic differences impact tree architecture and growth. This research will be undertaken at a number of tree breeding sites on, or near, Vancouver Island, British Columbia with collaborators from the Tree Improvement Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to and will examine differences in tree morphology with a range of genetic trials. Project deliverables include new methods to extract detailed individual crown attributes from super-dense LiDAR data, tree and crown size maps, and analysis of differences in crown characteristics based on LiDAR analysis across the elite trees and the subsequent implication for tree growth and yield. We will also produce a best practice guide describing the use of super-dense LIDAR data for assessment of tree breeding surveys for use by the Inventory Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for future monitoring.