Article
Environmental Sciences
Rafaela B. Salum, Sharon A. Robinson, Kerrylee Rogers
Summary: The study presents a validated method for quantifying mangrove heights using LiDAR data and calibrating them against plot-based estimates of above-ground biomass. The approach was initially validated in Darwin Harbour, then extrapolated to the West Alligator River, with consistent validation throughout the process.
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniel Kukenbrink, Oliver Gardi, Felix Morsdorf, Esther Thurig, Andreas Schellenberger, Lukas Mathys
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques for extracting detailed information on urban tree structure and above-ground biomass (AGB). The study found that TLS-derived AGB estimates showed good performance compared to destructively harvested references, offering a non-destructive and accurate method for estimating tree AGB across different species, sizes, and forms.
Article
Forestry
Zoe Schindler, Thomas Seifert, Jonathan P. Sheppard, Christopher Morhart
Summary: This study provides a set of allometric models for wild cherry trees in agroforestry systems. Through terrestrial laser scanning and quantitative structure models, 70 trees in southwestern Germany were surveyed and analyzed. The derived biomass model, based on volume estimates converted to biomass, shows no significant differences to a previous study conducted on agroforestry trees under a different management regime in the same region.
ANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Natalia de Aguiar-Campos, Fernanda Coelho de Souza, Vinicius Andrade Maia, Vanessa Leite Rezende, Cleber Rodrigo de Souza, Gabriela Gomes Pires de Paula, Paola Ferreira Santos, Gisele Cristina de Oliveira Menino, Wilder Bento da Silva, Rubens Manoel dos Santos
Summary: This study demonstrates that evolutionary constraints related to tree size significantly determine regional biomass stocks of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF), suggesting that even isolated SDTF fragments can play an important role in the global carbon cycle.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maciej J. Soja, Shaun Quegan, Mauro M. d'Alessandro, Francesco Banda, Klaus Scipal, Stefano Tebaldini, Lars M. H. Ulander
Summary: The CASINO algorithm is introduced for above-ground biomass (AGB) estimation in tropical forests using P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. It employs an interferometric ground cancellation technique and a power law model to estimate canopy backscatter intensity and model the dependence of canopy backscatter on AGB. The performance of CASINO varies across different test sites, with the most consistent AGB estimation observed for sites with large AGB interval and average AGB around 200-250 t/ha.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nik Ahmad Faris Nik Effendi, Nurul Ain Mohd Zaki, Zulkiflee Abd Latif, Mohd Nazip Suratman, Sharifah Norashikin Bohari, Mohd Zainee Zainal, Hamdan Omar
Summary: This study utilized a combination of airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR for tree species classification in tropical forests, with Support Vector Machine and Random Forest achieving the highest accuracy. Additionally, LiDAR data was used to estimate individual tree height, and a combination of data sources was applied to estimate Above-Ground Biomass and carbon stock for individual tree species.
GEOCARTO INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Miro Demol, Kim Calders, Hans Verbeeck, Bert Gielen
Summary: This study evaluated the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for estimating tree volumes, finding that the method was slightly more reliable compared to reference volumes and allometric scaling models (ASMs), but with some errors in finer details.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Suraj Reddy Rodda, Rama Rao Nidamanuri, T. Mayamanikandan, Gopalakrishnan Rajashekar, Chandra Shekar Jha, Vinay Kumar Dadhwal
Summary: Spatial biomass estimation using remote sensing requires ground reference plots for validation. TLS can extract tree volumes non-destructively, and TLS-based allometric models show superior predictions compared to traditional volume equations.
JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Luke Weidner, Megan van Veen, Matt Lato, Gabriel Walton
Summary: Terrestrial lidar data is useful for monitoring geohazards, such as rockfall and landslides. However, accurately characterizing vegetated landslides with horizontal shear surfaces can be challenging. This paper introduces a novel semi-automated algorithm to extract and calculate the 3D displacement of trees on a slow-moving landslide, improving landslide deformation analysis using point clouds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Peter B. Boucher, Ian Paynter, David A. Orwig, Ilan Valencius, Crystal Schaaf
Summary: The research evaluated the impact of occlusion on TLS scans and compared different stem sets, finding that occlusion from non-stem sources was the major influence on TLS line of sight. It was also discovered that transect and point TLS samples demonstrated better representativeness of some stem properties. Deriving sampled area from TLS scans improved estimates of stem density.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Warakhom Wongchai, Thossaporn Onsree, Natthida Sukkam, Anucha Promwungkwa, Nakorn Tippayawong
Summary: Biomass is a renewable energy resource that can be substituted for fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By using a machine learning algorithm, we are able to accurately estimate the aboveground biomass of fast-growing trees, providing an estimation method for tropical regions.
EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kurian Ayushi, Kanda Naveen Babu, Narayanan Ayyappan
Summary: This study examines the relationship between above-ground biomass (AGB) and various predictor variables in different forest types, and evaluates their relative importance. Structural diversity is found to be a key driver of AGB in tropical forests.
PLANT ECOLOGY & DIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Franziska Taubert, Rico Fischer, Nikolai Knapp, Andreas Huth
Summary: Remote sensing is a crucial tool for monitoring forest changes due to global change and other threats. This study presents a novel methodology to infer tree size distribution from lidar measurements, showing high accuracy at scales above 1 ha. The approach is reliable for forests with specific characteristics like low height, dense canopy, or low tree height heterogeneity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Suwash Kunwar, Li-Qiu Wang, Rajeev Chaudhary, Puspa Raj Joshi, Arshad Ali
Summary: The study investigated the effects of stand density, species diversity, and individual tree size variation on above-ground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests along an elevational gradient. Results indicated that increased stand density and decreased species diversity influenced AGB, while tree diameter and height variation had less impact. The study suggested that compact stand density is crucial for higher AGB, but higher species diversity and stand structural complexity should be considered for biodiversity conservation and forest management.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Aline Bornand, Nataliia Rehush, Felix Morsdorf, Esther Thurig, Meinrad Abegg
Summary: This study evaluates the correlation between individual tree volume estimation methods based on 3D reconstruction and existing models, and determines the relationship between geometric parameters obtained from laser scanning data and tree volume. The results show that geometric parameters can effectively estimate tree volume, especially for coniferous species. This is crucial for calibration and validation of biomass mapping products based on remote sensing data.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Harry Carstairs, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Iain McNicol, Chiara Aquino, Andrew Burt, Medard Obiang Ebanega, Anaick Modinga Dikongo, Jose-Luis Bueso-Bello, Mathias Disney
Summary: This paper investigates the relationship between TanDEM-X InSAR phase height (h phi) and aboveground biomass change in a hilly region of central Gabon. The study shows that minimizing multilooking and selecting appropriate pass directions on a pixel-by-pixel basis can enhance and improve degradation estimates.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Vincent Lecours, Mathias Disney, Kate He, Nathalie Pettorelli, J. Marcus Rowcliffe, Temuulen Sankey, Kylie Scales
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Andrew T. Nottingham, Emanuel Gloor, Erland Baath, Patrick Meir
Summary: Climate warming can accelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter and affect microbial communities and carbon storage in tropical forest soils. The short-term impact of warming on soil carbon mineralization is highly sensitive, but its long-term effects remain unclear. The observed sensitivity at different time scales may contribute to climate change, although there is evidence suggesting the long-term stability of tropical soil carbon. To understand the relationship between soil microbes and carbon storage in tropical soils, large-scale and cross-site in situ experiments and monitoring approaches are urgently needed.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Thaiane R. Sousa, Juliana Schietti, Igor O. Ribeiro, Thaise Emilio, Rafael Herrera Fernandez, Hans ter Steege, Carolina Castilho, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Timothy Baker, Aline Pontes-Lopes, Camila V. J. Silva, Juliana M. Silveira, Geraldine Derroire, Wendeson Castro, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Ademir Ruschel, Adriana Prieto, Adriano Jose Nogueira Lima, Agustin Rudas, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Ana Andrade, Anand Roopsind, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Anthony Di Fiore, Armando Torres-Lezama, Aurelie Dourdain, Beatriz Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon, Benoit Burban, Bert van Ulft, Bruno Herault, Carlos Quesada, Casimiro Mendoza, Clement Stahl, Damien Bonal, David Galbraith, David Neill, Edmar A. de Oliveira, Eduardo Hase, Eliana Jimenez-Rojas, Emilio Vilanova, Eric Arets, Erika Berenguer, Esteban Alvarez-Davila, Euridice N. Honorio Coronado, Everton Almeida, Fernanda Coelho, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Fernando Elias, Foster Brown, Frans Bongers, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Geertje van der Heijden, Gerardo A. Aymard, Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Guido Pardo, Hirma Ramirez-Angulo, Ieda Leao do Amaral, Ima Celia Guimaraes Vieira, Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, James A. Comiskey, James Singh, Javier Silva Espejo, Jhon Del Aguila-Pasquel, Joeri Alexander Zwerts, Joey Talbot, John Terborgh, Joice Ferreira, Jorcely G. Barroso, Jos Barlow, Jose Luis Camargo, Juliana Stropp, Julie Peacock, Julio Serrano, Karina Melgaco, Leandro Ferreira, Lilian Blanc, Lourens Poorter, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Luiz Aragao, Luzmila Arroyo, Marcos Silveira, Maria Cristina Penuela-Mora, Mario Percy Nunez Vargas, Marisol Toledo, Mat Disney, Maxime Rejou-Mechain, Michel Baisie, Michelle Kalamandeen, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Nallarett Davila Cardozo, Natalino Silva, Nigel Pitman, Niro Higuchi, Olaf Banki, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Paulo M. L. A. Graca, Paulo S. Morandi, Peter J. van der Meer, Peter van der Hout, Petrus Naisso, Plinio Barbosa Camargo, Rafael Salomao, Raquel Thomas, Rene Boot, Ricardo Keichi Umetsu, Richarlly da Costa Silva, Robyn Burnham, Roderick Zagt, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Roel Brienen, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Simon L. Lewis, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Simone Matias de Almeida Reis, Sophie Fauset, Susan Laurance, Ted Feldpausch, Terry Erwin, Timothy Killeen, Verginia Wortel, Victor Chama Moscoso, Vincent Vos, Walter Huaraca Huasco, William Laurance, Yadvinder Malhi, William E. Magnusson, Oliver L. Phillips, Flavia R. C. Costa
Summary: The study found that both excess and deficit of water availability reduce productivity in Amazon upland forests. Biomass and productivity across the Amazon not only respond to regional climate, but also to its interaction with water table conditions, showing high local differentiation.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Ilaine Silveira Matos, Oliver Binks, Cleiton B. Eller, Bianca B. Zorger, Patrick Meir, Todd E. Dawson, Bruno H. P. Rosado
Summary: This study investigates the impact of occult precipitation events on plant water and nutritional status. The researchers propose an expanded plant hydrological niches model that considers both soil and atmospheric resources. They find that the use of atmospheric resources promotes niche segregation and may alter species composition and abundance in plant communities. Climate and land-use changes are also identified as factors that may influence plant hydrological niches.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Louise Terryn, Kim Calders, Harm Bartholomeus, Renee E. Bartolo, Benjamin Brede, Barbara D'hont, Mathias Disney, Martin Herold, Alvaro Lau, Alexander Shenkin, Timothy G. Whiteside, Phil Wilkes, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: Accurately quantifying tree and forest structure is crucial for understanding and monitoring the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems in a changing climate. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle Laser Scanning (UAV-LS) have advanced the accurate measurement of forest structure. Combining TLS and UAV-LS data can further enhance the 3D structural mapping of dense tropical forests. TLS provides accurate measurements on a smaller scale, while UAV-LS provides comparable measurements on a larger scale. The fusion of TLS and UAV-LS can improve the measurement of structural metrics in these forests.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Miro Demol, Hans Verbeeck, Bert Gielen, John Armston, Andrew Burt, Mathias Disney, Laura Duncanson, Jan Hackenberg, Daniel Kukenbrink, Alvaro Lau, Pierre Ploton, Artie Sewdien, Atticus Stovall, Stephane Momo Takoudjou, Liubov Volkova, Christopher Weston, Verginia Wortel, Kim Calders
Summary: Improving global monitoring of above-ground biomass is crucial for effective forest management in mitigating climate change. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data has been developed to estimate above-ground biomass, addressing uncertainties in current methods. A global dataset of TLS scanned and destructively measured trees was assembled, showing close agreement between TLS-derived values and destructive measurements. However, smaller trees and conifers had below-average performances. TLS estimates of above-ground biomass were more accurate than allometric scaling models, especially for larger trees. Further efforts are needed to understand and constrain TLS error sources for better accuracy. TLS-calibrated models can be a powerful tool for scaling above-ground biomass with less effort compared to destructive harvesting.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicolas Labriere, Stuart J. Davies, Mathias Disney, Laura Duncanson, Martin Herold, Simon L. Lewis, Oliver L. Phillips, Shaun Quegan, Sassan S. Saatchi, Dmitry G. Schepaschenko, Klaus Scipal, Plinio Sist, Jerome Chave
Summary: This study aims to establish a global forest biomass reference measurement system. To successfully implement this system, uniform data collection and processing standards, inclusive and equitable system establishment and management, as well as mandatory training and involvement of site partners in downstream activities are emphasized.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Louise Terryn, Kim Calders, Markku Akerblom, Harm Bartholomeus, Mathias Disney, Shaun Levick, Niall Origo, Pasi Raumonen, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: Detailed 3D quantification of tree structure is crucial for understanding tree- and plot-level biophysical processes. Our ITSMe toolbox, which works with LiDAR tree point clouds and quantitative structure models, provides a robust framework for obtaining individual tree structural metrics from 3D data. It is open-source and aims to make the use of 3D data more straightforward and transparent for researchers interested in tree structure information.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrew J. F. Cox, Iain P. Hartley, Patrick Meir, Stephen Sitch, Mirindi Eric Dusenge, Zorayda Restrepo, Sebastian Gonzalez-Caro, Juan Camilo Villegas, Johan Uddling, Lina M. Mercado
Summary: Climate warming is causing compositional changes in Andean tropical montane forests (TMFs). These shifts are hypothesised to result from differential responses to warming of cold- and warm-affiliated species, with the former experiencing mortality and the latter migrating upslope. The thermal acclimation potential of Andean TMFs remains unknown.
Article
Plant Sciences
Holly A. A. Beckett, Teresa Neeman, Tomas I. Fuenzalida, Callum Bryant, Sara Chica Latorre, Leuwin I. Ovington, Lawren Sack, Patrick Meir, Marilyn C. Ball
Summary: The incidence and severity of global mangrove mortality due to drought is increasing. Yet, little is understood of the capacity of mangroves to show long-term acclimation of leaf water relations to severe drought. Our study found that the legacy of severe drought enhanced salinity tolerance in the subsequent dry season through coordinated adjustments that reduced leaf water potential and increased cell wall rigidity. These adjustments enable greater leaf function with minimal adjustments, contributing fundamentally to mangrove function under varying salinity regimes.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Andrew T. Nottingham, Maria Montero-Sanchez, Martijn Slot, Hubert A. Szczygiel, Esther Velasquez, Patrick Meir
Summary: The response of tropical forest tree seedling growth, photosynthesis and herbivory to 3 years of in situ full-soil profile warming was tested. Results showed that growth and photosynthesis declined significantly in warmed soil compared to soil at ambient temperature, especially for nitrogen-fixing species. The decline in growth may be caused by the negative effect of warming on nitrogen fixation rather than changes in nutrient mineralization from soil organic matter. Further investigation is required to confirm these findings.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chang Liu, Kim Calders, Niall Origo, Mathias Disney, Felicien Meunier, William Woodgate, Jean -Philippe Gastellu-Etchegorry, Joanne Nightingale, Eija Honkavaara, Teemu Hakala, Lauri Markelin, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: This study evaluated the trade-offs involved in two main subsampling approaches when reconstructing 3D-explicit forest scenes for radiative transfer modeling. The results showed that both subplot subsampling and tree library subsampling can effectively reconstruct the forest scenes, with the normalized mean BRF deviation decreasing as the sampling fraction increased. Sampling 20% of the forest area using the subplot subsampling method was found to be an effective reconstruction strategy for the temperate deciduous forest.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kim Calders, Hans Verbeeck, Andrew Burt, Niall Origo, Joanne Nightingale, Yadvinder Malhi, Phil Wilkes, Pasi Raumonen, Robert G. H. Bunce, Mathias Disney
Summary: Accurate assessment of forest above-ground biomass is crucial for quantifying climate mitigation benefits. However, the current allometric models used for estimation are biased and result in substantial errors. Testing the underlying assumptions of these models and improving measurement methods are urgent priorities to address this issue.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jelena Bujan, Andrew T. Nottingham, Esther Velasquez, Patrick Meir, Michael Kaspari, Stephen P. Yanoviak
Summary: This study used a tropical forest soil warming experiment to assess the impact of temperature increase on litter-dwelling ants. The results showed that a two-year increase in temperature can lead to changes in ant community structure and foraging activities.