The impact of voxel size, forest type, and understory cover on visibility estimation in forests using terrestrial laser scanning

Visibility (or viewshed) analysis, a common function in geographical information systems, is used wide range of fields such as urban planning, landscape management, and ecological research. However, measuring fine-scale visibility within forest environment challenging due to the structural complexity plant architecture. Here we propose new method for estimating forests using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). We compare plots derived from TLS with that gold standard photography-based approach show there good agreement between TLS-based approaches R2 values ranging 0.67 0.79 RMSE 12.45% 17.29%. further examine potential impacts voxel size, type, understory cover on estimation accuracy. Voxel size has strong effect estimates, most accurate estimates obtained at 10 cm. In general, achieves higher accuracy deciduous than coniferous mixed plots. The significant lower dense cover. Our results demonstrate technology can serve an appropriate rapidly estimate forests. More importantly, provides opportunity move beyond single locations limited perspectives, any location perspective scanned area, thereby greatly improving sampling efficiency.