Forest information collection and analysis
The main WP’s purpose is to develop methodologies and tools to fully describe terrain and stand characteristics, in order to evaluate the accessibility for and efficiency of harvesting technologies in mountain forests. The overall methodology starts from low scale remote sensing and multispectral analysis for raw estimation of the whole biomass volumes, to reach detailed information on individual trees from high-resolution on-field surveys (UAVs, Terrestrial laser scanner). High spatial resolution data with images Ground Sample Distance (GSD) smaller than the dimensions of individual tree crowns provide spectral information on individual trees as well as their health status.
DSM generated using UAV images, terrestrial laser scanner analysis and existing topographic information allow the generation of a detailed 3D virtual model of the forest, which will be used for the planning and simulation of the harvesting operations, optimization of logistics and road planning. 3D visualization of forest landscapes can be used to visualize stand succession, landscape transformation, and regional planning, and to improve harvesting decision-making processes.
A combination of techniques based on image and laser data will provide height and breast height diameter (DBH) of all individual trees, as well as other geometrical information (i.e. straightness, taper, etc.) that will be used to define tree quality indicators in WP4. The data collected and extracted will be used to populate a forest information model for harvesting purposes.
|T.2.1||Remote sensing and multispectral analysis||FLYBY|
|T.2.2||UAV data acquisition and processing||COASTWAY|
|T.2.3||On-field digital survey systems||TREEMETRICS|
|T.2.4||3D modelling for harvesting planning||GRAPHITECH|
|T.2.5||Road and logistic planning||ITENE|