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Sammendrag

Tree species composition is essential information for forest management and remotely sensed (RS) data have proven to be useful for its prediction. In forest management inventories, tree species are commonly interpreted manually from aerial images for each stand, which is time and resource consuming and entails substantial uncertainty. The objective of this study was to evaluate a range of RS data sources comprising airborne laser scanning (ALS) and airborne and satellite-borne multispectral data for model-based prediction of tree species composition. Total volume was predicted using non-linear regression and volume proportions of species were predicted using parametric Dirichlet models. Predicted dominant species was defined as the species with the greatest predicted volume proportion and predicted species-specific volumes were calculated as the product of predicted total volume multiplied by predicted volume proportions. Ground reference data obtained from 1184 sample plots of 250 m2 in eight districts in Norway were used. Combinations of ALS and two multispectral data sources, i.e. aerial images and Sentinel-2 satellite images from different seasons, were compared. The most accurate predictions of tree species composition were obtained by combining ALS and multi-season Sentinel-2 imagery, specifically from summer and fall. Independent validation of predicted species proportions yielded average root mean square differences (RMSD) of 0.15, 0.15 and 0.07 (relative RMSD of 30%, 68% and 128%) and squared Pearson's correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.74, 0.79 and 0.51 for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and deciduous species, respectively. The dominant species was predicted with median values of overall accuracy, quantity disagreement and allocation disagreement of 0.90, 0.07 and 0.00, respectively. Predicted species-specific volumes yielded average values of RMSD of 63, 48 and 23 m3/ha (relative RMSD of 39%, 94% and 158%) and r2 of 0.84, 0.60 and 0.53 for spruce, pine and deciduous species, respectively. In one of the districts with independent validation plots of mean size 3700 m2, predictions of the dominant species were compared to results obtained through manual photo-interpretation. The model predictions gave greater accuracy than manual photo-interpretation. This study highlights the utility of RS data for prediction of tree species composition in operational forest inventories, particularly indicating the utility of ALS and multi-season Sentinel-2 imagery.

Sammendrag

Butt rot is a main defect in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees and causes large economic losses for forest owners. However, little empirical research has been done on the effects of butt rot on harvested roundwood and the magnitude of the resulting economic losses. The main objective of this study was to characterize the direct economic losses caused by butt rot in Norway spruce trees for Norwegian forest owners. We used data obtained from seven cut-to-length harvesters, comprising ∼400,000 trees (∼140,000 m3) with corresponding stem profiles and wood grade information. We quantified the economic losses due to butt rot using bucking simulations, for which in a first case, defects caused by butt rot were included, and in a second case, all trees were assumed to be free of butt rot. 16% of trees were affected by butt rot, whereby butt rot tended to occur in larger trees. When butt rot was present in a tree, the saw log volume was reduced by 48%. Proportions of roundwood volume affected by butt rot varied considerably across harvested stands. Our results suggest that butt rot causes economic losses upwards of 7% of wood revenues, corresponding to € 18.5 million annually in Norway.