Abstract

ISLAS-GUTIERREZ, Fabián et al. Comparison of models to estimate DBH of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. with LiDAR data. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2025, vol.16, n.92, pp.54-80.  Epub Feb 06, 2026. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v16i92.1579.

DBH is a fundamental variable in forest management. Airborne LiDAR sensors have demonstrated their usefulness in supporting forest inventories; however, it is not possible to directly measure DBH with them. Pinus hartwegii is the main tree species in the highlands of Mexico, providing important ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and rainwater infiltration. The objective of this study was to design an equation to estimate the DBH of individual P. hartwegii trees, based on tree measurements obtained from airborne LiDAR data. 85 identifiable P. hartwegii trees were selected on a digital orthomosaic and their UTM coordinates were recorded. With these coordinates they were located in the field and their DBH, total height, height to crown base and crown diameter were measured. They were located in a LiDAR point cloud and the same variables were measured as in the field, except for the DBH. 29 models reported in the literature were evaluated to estimate normal diameter, using 7 independent variables obtained from the LiDAR data. The best model (M27) is an adaptation of the one known in the literature as Gompertz. It obtained an R 2 adj=0.884, RMSE=6.5 cm. The validation results indicate that its estimates are adequate for calculating the DBH from the total height and crown diameter obtained from LiDAR data.

Keywords : Airborne; individual trees; LiDAR; Pinus hartwegii Lindl.; regression; remote sensing.

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