Determination of optimal point spacing for reliable RPAS-mounted LiDAR inventory of regenerating forest stands in Saskatchewan

萨斯喀彻温省的北方森林面积为1 170万公顷，其中530万公顷被认为是生产性森林，每年的商品销售额超过10亿加元。萨斯喀彻温省通过环保的行业标准管理这一行业，这些标准的目标是北方森林生态系统的长期可持续性。技术是这一管理系统的组成部分。在这方面，光探测和测距（LiDAR）扫描仪是一项值得注意的创新，它使林业工作者能够从空中平台更快地记录、测量和确定森林的关键属性，比地面替代方案更准确。对于大片林地而言，激光雷达数据仍然相对昂贵;需要专门的数据处理系统来评估森林绩效指标（即高度、体积、物种）。Forsite Consultants Ltd.（Forsite）正在寻求优化处于“自由生长”阶段（8-14年）的林分的再生（再生）调查。因此，Forsite向萨斯喀彻温省理工学院提出了一项研究建议，旨在确定使用远程驾驶飞机系统（RPAS）安装的激光雷达再生树木的最佳点间距。本研究的目的是采用一系列的试验，在不同的点密度比以前测量的森林林分。这项研究将允许确定最佳点间距的可靠的森林资源清查信息方面的再生林。这反过来又将有助于重新调整现有模式，提高森林管理的效率。

The boreal forest makes up 11.7 million hectares of land in Saskatchewan, of which 5.3 million hectares is considered productive forest accounting for over $1 billion in commodity sales annually. Saskatchewan manages this industry through environmentally-sound industry standards that target long-term sustainability of the boreal forest ecosystem. Technology is an integral component of this management system. In this regard, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanners are a notable innovation that permits foresters to document, measure, and identify key attributes of the forest from an aerial platform faster and with better accuracy than ground-based alternatives. LiDAR data is still relatively expensive for large tracts of forested land; specialized data-processing systems are required to evaluate forest performance indicators (i.e. height, volume, species). Forsite Consultants Ltd. (Forsite) is looking to optimize regeneration (regen) surveys for stands in the 'free to grow' stage (8-14 years). Forsite therefore approached Saskatchewan Polytechnic with a research proposal aimed at determining optimal point spacing for regenerating trees using remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) mounted LiDAR. The objective of this research is to employ a series of trials at varying point densities over previously measured forest stands. The research would permit determination of optimal point spacing for reliable forest inventory information with respect to regenerating stands. This in turn would facilitate recalibration of existing models and more efficient forest management.