Using Airborne Laser Scanner Data in Forestry Management: a Novel Approach to Single Tree Delineation

Lately, laser scanning even of huge areas has become economically sensible due to new airborne laser-scanners delivering higher resolutions and measurement frequency. In this paper we will describe a novel approach for single tree delineation based on airborne laser-scanner-data for use in forestry applications. This currently leads into the development a forestry management tool as a part of a new three-dimensional geoinformation system (3D-GIS). By enhancing the well-known watershed-algorithm by adding a third dimension, we developed a novel volumetric approach, which is able to accurately — and robustly — detect positions and dimensions of the individual trees in a forest. Each tree’s “business card” is then stored in a database, the “Virtual Forest” which serves as the integration platform for a new single-tree-based forestry management system currently being developed in Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany. Combining the single-tree-data with known statistical methods, the system will provide the user with a detailed view on forestry units, on single trees or on the complete forest within an administrative district. The presented algorithms and methods were integrated into our 3D-GIS and successfully tested in a 82km2 test-area close to Arnsberg, Germany.