Impact of local slope and aspect assessed from LiDAR records on tree diameter in radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations

Saremi, Hanieh; Kumar, Lalit; Turner, Russell; Stone, Christine; Melville, Gavin J.

doi:10.1007/s13595-014-0374-4

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…up to 1100 m a.s.l. In order to determine errors resulting from the lower accuracy of ALS on slopes [56,57] and limit their impact on the created models, most terrain plots were located there.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Effect of Environmental and Topographic Variables Affecting the Height Increment of Norway Spruce Stands in Mountainous Conditions with the Use of LiDAR Data

et al. 2019

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Differing levels of humidity, sunlight exposure or temperature in different areas of mountain ranges are fundamental to the existence of particular vegetation types. A better understanding of even local variability of trees may bring significant benefits, not only economic, but most of all, nature-related. The main focus of this study was the analysis of relationships between increment in stand height, age and the natural topography in the examined area. Among others, the following were examined with regard to their influence on the growing process: age, altitude above sea level (m a.s.l.), aspect and slope, topographic wetness index (TWI), and topographic position index (TPI) generated from an airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived elevation model. To precisely calculate forest growth dynamics in mountain conditions for different spruce stands, repeated airborne lidar measurements from 2007 and 2012 were used (with resolution respectively 4 and 6 pts./m 2 ). Detailed information on every stand including species composition, share of individual species, as well as their age, were acquired from the State Forests IT System (SILP). It was proven in this study, that environmental and topographic variables may have an impact on forest growth dynamics on even closely located areas. Apart from the age, the greatest influence on tree growth has an altitude above sea level, aspect and slope. The highest height increment of spruce was observed in the stands of up to 30 years old, those that had grown at an altitude under 850 m a.s.l., on the slopes up to 15 degrees or on those which were on the northeastern exposure. The results obtained show that the physiology of species, even those that are well known, largely depends on local topographic conditions. The proven impact of different topography factors on the growth of spruce may be used while planning economic activities in precision forestry. Additional research with using multiple laser scanning in the context of other regions or other species may bring us better recognition of local growth conditions and in consequence, significantly better planning and higher revenues obtained from the sale of trees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Effect of Environmental and Topographic Variables Affecting the Height Increment of Norway Spruce Stands in Mountainous Conditions with the Use of LiDAR Data

et al. 2019

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“…With respect to soft-mast-producing species, we were able to find a significant relationship with slope. Although no studies on soft-mast-producing trees support our result, it is known that slope is negatively related to percent cover of soft-mast shrub and herbaceous species [102], understory plant richness [103], and basal area of trees in plantation sites [104]. Terrain morphology (slope, altitude, and aspect) influences many ecological aspects of forests [105], but we believe that slope in our models captured the effects of more than just a topographic factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Assessing Forest Structural and Topographic Effects on Habitat Productivity for the Endangered Apennine Brown Bear

Rositi¹,

Lasinio²,

Ciucci³

2021

Forests

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Any forest management potentially affects the availability and quality of resources for forest-dwelling wildlife populations, including endangered species. One such species is the Apennine brown bear, a small and unique population living in the central Apennines of Italy. The conservation of this relict bear population is hampered by the lack of knowledge of the fine-scale relationships between productivity of key foods and forest structure, as this prevents the design and implementation of effective forest management plans. To address this issue, we sampled the main structural stand attributes within the bear’s range and used multivariate generalized linear mixed models in a Bayesian framework to relate forest structural attributes to proxies of productivity of key bear foods. We found that hard mast was positively associated with both forest typology and high forest system, but negatively related to both the time elapsed since the last forest utilization and the amount of deadwood. The availability of soft-mast producing species was positively related to past forestry practices but negatively associated with steep slopes historically managed with high tree densities and a low silvicultural disturbance. Our findings also suggest that herb cover was negatively affected by terrain steepness and basal area, while herb productivity was positively affected by northern and southern exposure. Additionally, richness of forest ants was associated with forests characterized by low volume and high density. Our findings confirm that the productivity of natural bear foods is strongly affected by forest structural and topographical characteristics and are relevant as preliminary information for forest management practices to support the long-term conservation of Apennine bears.

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“…The effect of topography and solar radiation on tree height and DBH were revealed in earlier work by authors and exhibited significant relationships with the variables [32,33]. This study concentrated on examining the effect of stand stocking on tree height and DBH variation in two stands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Sub-Compartment Variation in Tree Height, Stem Diameter and Stocking in a Pinus radiata D. Don Plantation Examined Using Airborne LiDAR Data

et al. 2014

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Better information regarding the spatial variability of height, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and stocking could improve inventory estimates at the operational Planning Unit since these parameters are used extensively in allometric equations, including stem volume, biomass and carbon calculations. In this study, the influence of stand stocking on height and DBH of two even aged radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) stands were investigated using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data at a study site in New South Wales, Australia. Both stands were characterized by irregular stocking due to patchy establishment and self-thinning in the absence of any silvicultural thinning events. For the purpose of this study, a total of 34 plots from a 34 year old site and 43 plots from a nine year old site were established, from which a total of 447 trees were sampled. Within these plots, DBH and height measurements were measured and their relationships with stocking were evaluated. LiDAR was used for height estimation as well as stem counts in fixed plots (stocking). The results showed a significant relationship between stem DBH and stocking. At both locations, trees with larger diameters were found on lower stocking sites. Height values were also significantly correlated with stocking, with taller OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2014, 6 7593 trees associated with high stocking. These results were further verified of additional tree samples, with independent field surveys for DBH and LiDAR-derived metrics for height analysis. This study confirmed the relationship between P. radiata tree heights and stem diameter with stocking and demonstrated the capacity of LiDAR to capture sub-compartment variation in these tree-level attributes.

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Impact of local slope and aspect assessed from LiDAR records on tree diameter in radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations

Cited by 21 publications

References 28 publications

Modeling the Effect of Environmental and Topographic Variables Affecting the Height Increment of Norway Spruce Stands in Mountainous Conditions with the Use of LiDAR Data

Modeling the Effect of Environmental and Topographic Variables Affecting the Height Increment of Norway Spruce Stands in Mountainous Conditions with the Use of LiDAR Data

Assessing Forest Structural and Topographic Effects on Habitat Productivity for the Endangered Apennine Brown Bear

Sub-Compartment Variation in Tree Height, Stem Diameter and Stocking in a Pinus radiata D. Don Plantation Examined Using Airborne LiDAR Data

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