A Comparative Study of Image Enhancement Methods in Tree-Ring Analysis

In this paper the problem of semiautomatic tree-ring detection in scanned images of European larch wood sample is considered. In particular, the attention is paid to find image enhancement approach which increases the number of tree rings detected in the wood image by the CooRecorder software. The results provided by different preprocessing methods (including thresholding, contrast enhancement and various spatial filters) are assessed by means of the number of the detected tree rings. Discussion and interpretation of the results are also provided.