POTENTIAL OF MULTI-TEMPORAL UAV-BORNE LIDAR IN ASSESSING EFFECTIVENESS OF SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS

Abstract. Silvicultural treatments are practiced to control resource competition and direct forest stand development to meet management objectives. Effective tracking of thinning and partial cutting treatments help in timely mitigation and ensuring future stand productivity. Based on a study conducted in autumn 2015, our findings in a white pine dominant forest stand in Petawawa (Ontario, Canada) showed that almost all individual trees were detectable, structure of individual trees and undergrowth was well pronounced and underlying terrain below dense undisturbed canopy was well captured with UAS based Riegl Vux-1 lidar even at a range of 150 m. Thereafter, the site was re-scanned the following summer with the same system. Besides understanding the difference in distribution patterns due to foliage conditions, co-registering the two datasets, in the current study, we tested the potential of quantifying effectiveness of a partial cutting silvicultural system especially in terms of filling of 3D spaces through vertical or lateral growth and mortality in a very short period of time.