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Above-ground biomass references for urban trees from terrestrial laser scanning data
Daniel Kükenbrink1,2, Oliver Gardi3, Felix Morsdorf2
1Swiss Federal Institute WSL, Zürichstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Annals of Botany
|March 11, 2021
Summary
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) accurately estimates urban tree above-ground biomass (AGB) using wood volume, outperforming traditional methods. This non-destructive technique enables new allometric equations for precise AGB quantification.
Area of Science:
- Urban forestry
- Biomass estimation
- Remote sensing technologies
Background:
- Urban trees provide essential ecosystem services, including carbon storage and climate regulation.
- Accurate quantification of urban tree above-ground biomass (AGB) is crucial for assessing carbon storage potential.
- Traditional methods for AGB estimation often rely on forest allometries, which may not accurately represent urban trees due to different growing conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for detailed urban tree structure and AGB assessment.
- To compare TLS-derived AGB estimates with traditional forest allometry methods.
- To identify key tree structural metrics from TLS data that best predict AGB.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-five urban trees across seven Swiss cities were measured using TLS and conventional forest inventory techniques.
- Quantitative structure modeling was employed to extract tree structure, volume, and AGB from TLS point clouds.
- TLS-derived AGB estimates were validated against destructive harvesting data and compared with diameter-based allometric estimates.
Main Results:
- TLS-derived AGB estimates demonstrated high accuracy (R² = 0.954) compared to destructive harvesting, significantly outperforming traditional allometric methods (R² = 0.837).
- TLS-derived wood volume, trunk diameters, and crown metrics showed strong correlations with total wood AGB, outperforming tree height as a predictor.
- The study identified key structural metrics from TLS data that enhance AGB estimation accuracy for urban trees.
Conclusions:
- Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) provides a highly accurate and non-destructive method for estimating urban tree above-ground biomass (AGB).
- TLS-derived wood volume is a robust predictor of AGB, independent of tree species, size, and form.
- This technique facilitates the development of new, precise allometric equations for urban trees, reducing the need for extensive destructive sampling.
