Automatic Assessment of Individual Stem Shape Parameters in Forest Stands from TLS Point Clouds: Application in Pinus pinaster

Covadonga Prendes; Elena  Canga; Celestino Ordonez; Juan Majada; Mauricio Acuna; Carlos Cabo

doi:10.3390/f13030431

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Automatic Assessment of Individual Stem Shape Parameters in Forest Stands from TLS Point Clouds: Application in Pinus pinaster

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Automatic Assessment of Individual Stem Shape Parameters in Forest Stands from TLS Point Clouds: Application in Pinus pinaster

Covadonga Prendes, Elena Canga, Celestino Ordonez, Juan Majada, Mauricio Acuna and Carlos Cabo

Forests, Vol.13(3), pp.1-16

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f13030431

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Abstract

straightness

lean

sinuosity

tree breeding

wood quality

Tree morphological characteristics, particularly straightness and lean, significantly influence the value of the commercial products that can be obtained. Despite this, they are not usually evaluated in timber field inventories because traditional techniques are labor-intensive and largely subjective, hence the use of these parameters is limited to research and genetic breeding programs. Here, a nondestructive, fully automated methodology is presented that estimates the parameters for describing straightness and lean using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. It is based on splitting stems into evenly spaced sections and estimating their centers, which are then used to automatically calculate the maximum sagitta, sinuosity, and lean of each tree. The methodology was applied in a breeding trial plot of Pinus pinaster, and the results obtained were compared with field measurements of straightness and lean based on visual classification. The methodology is robust to errors in the estimation of section centers, the basis for calculating shape parameters. Besides, its accuracy compares favorably with traditional field techniques, which often involve problems of misclassification. The new methodology is easy to use, less expensive, and overcomes the drawbacks of traditional field techniques for obtaining straightness and lean measurements. It can be modified to apply to any species and stand typology.

Details

Title: Automatic Assessment of Individual Stem Shape Parameters in Forest Stands from TLS Point Clouds: Application in Pinus pinaster
Authors: Covadonga Prendes (Author) - CETEMAS
Elena Canga (Author) - CETEMAS
Celestino Ordonez (Author) - Universidad de Oviedo
Juan Majada (Author) - CETEMAS
Mauricio Acuna (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research Centre
Carlos Cabo (Author) - Universidad de Oviedo
Publication details: Forests, Vol.13(3), pp.1-16
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.3390/f13030431
ISSN: 1999-4907
Copyright note: Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99621540602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Forestry

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