Comparing yield estimates derived from LiDAR and aerial photogrammetric point-cloud data with cut-to-length harvester data in a Pinus radiata plantation in Tasmania

ABSTRACTAccurate mapping of timber resources in commercial forestry is essential to support planning and management operations of forest growers. Over the last two decades, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems have been successfully deployed for the collection of point-cloud data for accurate modelling of forest attributes that are traditionally obtained from plot-based inventory. In recent years, studies conducted in North America and Scandinavia have shown that three-dimensional point clouds derived from digital aerial photogrammetric (AP) data can be used to model forest attributes with a level of accuracy similar to traditional LiDAR-based approaches. A comparative analysis of the performance of the two point-cloud technologies has never been attempted in Australian plantations. In this study, we compared the performance of LiDAR-based and AP-based point clouds for estimating total recoverable volume in a Pinus radiata plantation at Springfield in north-eastern Tasmania, using volume data colle...