Affordable air-ground mobile mapping system for precise forestry applications

Wood density is crucial for ecological and carbon stock assessment, yet its labor-intensive analysis limits studies across species and spaces. Our study, based on 48,000 samples from Central Europe, reveals that, even without species information, 91% of inter-tree variations can be predicted by vegetation indexes, topography, and soil texture. Importantly, we highlight neglected intra-tree variation, showing substantial variations vertically along the height and radially from the center to bark.