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Forestry Advance Access published online on April 24, 2008
Forestry, doi:10.1093/forestry/cpn018
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© Institute of Chartered Foresters, 2008. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The use of airborne laser scanning to estimate sawlog volumes

Lauri Korhonen1,*, Jussi Peuhkurinen1, Jukka Malinen2, Aki Suvanto1, Matti Maltamo1, Petteri Packalen1 and Jyrki Kangas3

1 University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forest Sciences, PO Box 111, FI80101 Joensuu, Finland
2 Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Unit, PO Box 68, FI80101 Joensuu, Finland
3 Metsähallitus, PO Box 94, FI01301 Vantaa, Finland

* Corresponding author. E-mail: lauri.korhonen{at}joensuu.fi


  Abstract

This study of estimation of the sawlog volume of clear-cut stands from airborne laser scanning data considers both theoretical and factual recoveries. Theoretical sawlog volume estimates for the trees were calculated with a taper curve and factual estimates were obtained by multiplying the result by a model-based sawlog reduction factor, to allow for defects. Dominant tree species-specific models for the estimation of sawlog volumes per hectare were constructed with laser-based canopy height metrics as independent variables. The models were tested with the use of independently collected test data that consisted of 14 harvester-measured forest stands. Test data included information on the tapering of the stems and the volumes of the actually harvested assortments. The results indicate that the direct laser models are capable of producing satisfactory estimates for both the theoretical and the factual sawlog volumes of a clear-cut stand, with root mean squared errors of 9.1 and 18.0 per cent in the test data, respectively. In conclusion, the method presented here is quite suitable for pre-harvest estimation of sawlog volume, even though in cases where unpredictable defects (e.g. decay as a result of disease) exist the sawlog recoveries may be significantly overestimated.

Received 22 March 2007.
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