Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) for sustainable community forest management

在不列颠哥伦比亚省（BC）沿海的许多地区，可持续森林管理正成为确保维持森林生态系统功能的一个主要重点（加拿大自然资源部，2007年）。传统上，航空摄影，数字高程模型（DEM）和地面调查被用作森林管理的工具。然而，光探测和测距（LiDAR），也被称为机载激光扫描（ALS），是一种最近的遥感技术，已被证明在制定详细的管理计划方面极具价值。ALS技术具有穿透森林冠层的垂直剖面的能力，使得可以远程收集森林高度的测量、林分体积和生物量的预测以及底层地形信息（Bater等人，2007年; Gatziolis和Andersen，2008年）。随着ALS技术的进步和可获得性的增加，它已成为森林规划森林资源清查发展的一个重要方面。因此，许多林业公司，无论是工业还是社区，都越来越愿意使用ALS来提供木材采伐土地基础（THLB）的准确评估。ALS技术可以以许多独特的方式增强当前的森林清查方法，包括：提供通常使用传统清查评估的属性的估计（例如，体积断面积，平均胸径，高度和体积;提供额外的和更先进的库存属性的估计（例如，树干分布和块大小;以及估计额外的森林生态系统服务（例如，地形、流域和溪流特征、视域和碳评估。 在这项提案中，我们提出了一个研究计划，将调查ALS技术在一个相对独特的管理方案中的应用，因为与大规模工业林业应用相比，基于社区的森林管理有许多额外的机会和限制。

In many areas on the coast of British Columbia (BC), sustainable forest management is becoming a major focus to ensure the maintenance of forest ecosystem function (Natural Resource Canada 2007). Traditionally, aerial photography, digital elevation models (DEMs), and ground based surveys are used as tools in forest management. However, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR), also known as airborne laser scanning (ALS), is a recent remote sensing technology that has been shown to be extremely valuable in the development of detailed management plans. ALS technology has the ability to penetrate the vertical profile of a forest canopy so that measurements of forest height, predictions of stand volume and biomass, as well as underlying terrain information can be gathered remotely (Bater et al., 2007; Gatziolis and Andersen, 2008). With both the advancement and increased accessibility of ALS technology it has become an important aspect in the development of forest inventory for forest planning. As a result, many forestry companies, both industrial and community-based, have been increasingly receptive to using ALS to provide accurate assessments of the timber harvesting land base (THLB). ALS technology can augment current forest inventory methods in a number of unique ways, including: providing estimates of attributes usually assessed using traditional inventory (e.g., volume basal area, mean DBH, height and volume; provide estimates of additional and more advanced inventory attributes (e.g., stem distribution and piece size; and estimating additional forest ecosystem services (e.g., terrain, watershed and stream features, viewsheds, and carbon assessment. In this proposal we present a research program that will investigate the application of ALS technology in a relatively unique management scenario as community based forest management have a number of additional opportunities and constraints when compared to large scale industrial forestry applications.