Abstract

HERNANDEZ-MORENO, José Antonio; PEREZ-SALICRUP, Diego Rafael  and  VELAZQUEZ-MARTINEZ, Alejandro. Measuring forest inventory parameters in planted forests using LiDAR technology: Comparison of methods. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2025, vol.16, n.87, pp.72-99.  Epub May 26, 2025. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v16i87.1488.

Forest inventory describes the quantity, size, and quality of the trees in a forest and the characteristics of the space where they grow. Traditionally, a forest inventory is carried out manually, with calipers to measure the diameter at breast height (DBH), and devices that use geometric principles, such as the clinometer for the estimation of total height (TH). This paper documents the applicability of a tablet with integrated LiDAR technology for the measurement of forest inventory parameters, by comparing dendrometric data obtained with LiDAR and traditional methods: geographic position, DBH, TH, crown diameter (CD) and clear stem height (CS) of individual trees in a planted coniferous forest. A simple linear regression analysis was performed with each variable, and a t-student test was applied to determine differences between means, as well as to calculate the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to measure the error between predicted and observed values. The results show a R 2 =0.99 and RMSE=0.657 cm for DBH; a R 2 =0.98 and a RMSE=0.369 m for TH; a R 2 =0.95 and RMSE=0.341 cm for CD, and a R 2 =0.97 and RMSE=0.208 cm for CS. The total scanning time for LiDAR data acquisition was 3.4 times less than traditional forest inventory time. The proposed method for forest inventory in planted forests using the mobile device is reliable, accurate, and less time-consuming than the traditional approach.

Keywords : Terrestrial laser scanning; iPad Pro^®; forest parameters; augmented reality; free to use software; mobile LiDAR sensor.

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