Estimation of Forest Structural Parameters Using UAV-LiDAR Data and a Process-Based Model in Ginkgo Planted Forests

Abstract

Developing an accurate model for estimating the forest structural parameters of planted forests is crucial for forest productivity predictions and can provide a better understanding of the carbon cycle under climate change. Unmanned aerial vehicle-light detecting and ranging (UAV-LiDAR) systems represents a promising active remote sensing technology that has the potential to be used for forest inventories. In addition, the process-based model, physiological principles predicting growth (3-PG), which is based on physiological principles and environmental factors, has been applied to estimate the growth of even-aged, mono-specific forests under the effect of different management levels, site conditions, and climate change. In this study, the performance of UAV-LiDAR metrics was assessed and applied to estimate forest structural parameters using a multivariate linear regression (MLR) method. The 3-PG was parameterized and used to simulate the diameter at breast height, stem density, volume and above-ground biomass of a planted ginkgo forest in eastern China. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the 3-PG model s input parameters. The results demonstrated that both the MLR based on UAV-LiDAR data and a progress model of the 3-PG have a promising potential for estimating forest structural parameters (R2 > 0.70, relative root squared error >20%). A sensitivity analysis of the 3-PG parameters also confirmed that the parameter “age at canopy cover” (fullCanAge) is vital for the 3-PG model, and positively correlation with the simulated results. The method presented here represents an improvement on traditional methods for estimating forest structural parameters because it more explicitly accounts for climatic effects included in the 3-PG model.