Laser Scanner Applications in Forest and Environmental Sciences

Potential forest-related information can be obtained from processing data obtained from laser scanning sensors making this technology extremely useful for forest management and environmental assessment. It is thoroughly documented in recent literature how specific forest characteristics can be estimated at stand, plot and single tree level using laser scanner surveys at corresponding scales. The high resolution models of the canopy surface and of the bare earth (terrain), as well as the information obtained related to the structure of the volume between these two surfaces, concur at offering a more complete source of information not only for direct forestry-related applications, but also for connected disciplines such as hydrology, engineering, forest disturbances analysis and ecological assessment. Having accurate and spatially distributed information over the above mentioned aspects give land assessment and management added value data to work with. Correct utilization of laser scanner data can lead to the assessment of many characteristics usually obtained by ground surveys. Ground-plots require significant expenditure in terms of human effort, economical investment and can be distributed on large areas only in limited number. The following paper shows the efforts which are being undertaken by scientific research towards testing laser scanner applications for forest and environmental sciences.