THE CROWN DIAMETER ESTIMATION FROM FIXED WING TYPE OF UAV IMAGERY

Abstract. The forest inventory is an important instrument for sustainable forest management. Canopy Height Model (CHM) and Digital Surface Model (DSM) created from high-resolution UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) imagery provide possibility to determine tree crown diameters for the whole stand at fast. The goal of this paper is to identify the influence of tree species on the accuracy of estimation of crown diameter from high-resolution UAV imagery. In Plot 1 with coniferous tree species we identified 21 trees from total of 22 trees that leads to a detection rate of 95%. In Plot 1 with deciduous trees species we identified 24 trees from total 34 trees that leads to a detection rate of 71%. The RMSE errors calculated between the reference crown diameters and estimated crown diameters by IWS on Plot 1and Plot 2 were calculated as 0.80 m (RMSE% = 21.85) and 1.89 m (RMSE% = 21.54), respectively. The results didn’t show the significant influence of tree species on the accuracy of estimation of crown diameter from high-resolution UAV imagery. However, result showed the significant influence of tree species on the detection number trees on the plot. The detection of number trees on the plot by method Inverese Watersed Segmentation in software ArcGis is higher for coniferous tree species. It is mainly due to the overlapping crowns.