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Published on: June 24, 2019
Implications of differing input data sources and approaches upon forest carbon stock estimation
Michael A Wulder1, Joanne C White, Graham Stinson
1Canadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Center), Natural Resources Canada, 506 West Burnside Rd., Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada. mwulder@nrcan.gc.ca
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|June 12, 2009
Summary
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) improved site index estimates, impacting forest biomass calculations. While differences were significant overall, Douglas-fir stands showed minimal biomass variation, suggesting LIDAR
Area of Science:
- Forestry
- Ecology
- Remote Sensing
Background:
- Site index is crucial for forest productivity and growth estimation.
- Forest inventory data, including site index, height, and age, are used for stand volume, biomass, and carbon stock estimations.
- Accurate site index estimation is vital for reliable carbon accounting in forests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different site index estimates on carbon stock characterization.
- To compare site index estimates from traditional forest inventory with those derived using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR).
- To analyze the subsequent effects on biomass estimations using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3).
Main Methods:
- Compared site index estimates from existing forest inventory with LIDAR-derived attributes.
- Utilized a 2,500-ha Douglas-fir-dominated landscape in British Columbia, Canada.
- Applied the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) to assess biomass differences.
Main Results:
- Significant differences were observed between original and LIDAR-derived site indices across all species and site classes (p < 0.001).
- LIDAR-derived site classes were higher for 42% of stands, with 77% within +/-1 class of the original.
- Biomass estimates showed significant differences overall (p < 0.001), but not for Douglas-fir stands (p = 0.288).
Conclusions:
- LIDAR-derived site index data can influence biomass and carbon stock estimations.
- While overall biomass estimates varied, Douglas-fir dominated stands showed robust results, indicating LIDAR's potential role in site index and biomass mapping.
- The strong correlation (R(2) = 0.92) between biomass estimates supports LIDAR's utility in specific forest inventory applications.
