Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2010
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Authors
Jari Vauhkonen Liviu Ene Svein Solberg Marius Hauglin Vegard Lien Petteri Packalén Terje Gobakken Erik Næsset Timo Tokola Matti MaltamoAbstract
The aim of this study was to validate and compare single-tree detection algorithms under different forest conditions. Field data and corresponding airborne laser scanning (ALS) data were acquired from boreal forests in Norway and Sweden, coniferous and broadleaved forests in Germany, and pulpwood plantations in Brazil. The data represented a variety of forest types from pure Eucalyptus stands with known ages and planting densities to conifer-dominated Scandinavian forests and more complex deciduous canopies in Central Europe. ALS data were acquired using different sensors with pulse densities varying between the data sets. Field data in varying extent were associated with each ALS data set for training purposes. Treetop positions were extracted using altogether six different algorithms developed in Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden, and the accuracy of tree detection and height estimation was assessed. Furthermore, the weaknesses and strengths of the methods under different forest conditions were analyzed. The results showed that forest structure and density strongly affected the performance of all algorithms. The differences in performance between methods were more pronounced for tree detection than for height estimation. The algorithms showed a slightly better performance in the conditions for which they were developed, while some could be adapted by different parameterization according to training with local data. The results of this study may help guiding the choice of method under different conditions and may be of great value for future refinement of the single-tree detection algorithms.
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The airborne laser scanning (ALS) penetration rate, i.e. the ratio of ground echoes to total echoes, is a proxy for gap fraction. Hence, ALS has a potential for monitoring forest properties that are related to gap fraction, such as leaf area index, canopy cover and disturbance. Furthermore, two gap types may be distinguished: While a pulse that only produces a ground echo most likely hit a large, between-tree gap, a pulse that produces a ground echo as the last of several returns most likely hit smaller, within-canopy gaps. This may be utilized to distinguish between disturbance types such as defoliation and tree removal. However, the ALS penetration rate needs to be calibrated with gap fraction measurements in the field, because it is influenced by technical properties of the acquisition. The aim of this study was to quantify the magnitude of this influence, by comparing repeated acquisitions with different technical specifications. We had at hand 12 ALS acquisitions which could be combined into six pairs, from four spruce and pine dominated forests in Norway. We established 20x20 m grids, and for each grid cell we extracted three penetration variables: first echo penetration, last-of-many echo penetration, and total (i.e., first and last echo). We log-transformed the penetration variables (P1 and P2) from two laser acquisitions, and fitted the no-intercept, linear model log(P1) = log(P2), applying total least squares regression analysis. In a majority of the cases, the penetration variables were very similar, i.e. they deviated by <10%. For the first echo penetration the slopes varied from 0.87 to 1.07 and the R2 values ranged between 0.91 and 0.99. For the last-of-many echo penetration, there was generally weaker correspondence with slopes varying from 0.78 to 1.02, and R2 values ranging from 0.60 to 0.94. Finally, for the total penetration there was again stronger agreement with slopes in the range 0.83-1.03 and R2 values from 0.88 to 0.99. In conclusion, it seems that the penetration ability of different ALS scans in many cases are very similar, and further research may reveal ranges of standardized settings for which field inventory can be redundant.
Authors
Miguel D. Mahecha Markus Reichstein Martin Jung Sonia I. Seneviratne Sönke Zaehle Christian Beer Maarten C. Braakhekke Nuno Carvalhais Holger Lange Guerric Le Maire Eddy MoorsAbstract
Terrestrial biosphere models are indispensable tools for analyzing the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of carbon and water. Evaluation of these models using site level observations scrutinizes our current understanding of biospheric responses to meteorological variables. Here we propose a novel model-data comparison strategy considering that CO2 and H2O exchanges fluctuate on a wide range of timescales. Decomposing simulated and observed time series into subsignals allows to quantify model performance as a function of frequency, and to localize model-data disagreement in time. This approach is illustrated using site level predictions from two models of different complexity, Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems (ORCHIDEE) and Lund-Potsdam-Jena (LPJ), at four eddy covariance towers in different climates. Frequency-dependent errors reveal substantial model-data disagreement in seasonal-annual and high-frequency net CO2 fluxes. By localizing these errors in time we can trace these back, for example, to overestimations of seasonal-annual periodicities of ecosystem respiration during spring greenup and autumn in both models. In the same frequencies, systematic misrepresentations of CO2 uptake severely affect the performance of LPJ, which is a consequence of the parsimonious representation of phenology. ORCHIDEE shows pronounced model-data disagreements in the high-frequency fluctuations of evapotranspiration across the four sites. We highlight the advantages that our novel methodology offers for a rigorous model evaluation compared to classical model evaluation approaches. We propose that ongoing model development will benefit from considering model-data (dis)agreements in the time-frequency domain.
Authors
Helmer BelboAbstract
In this study, the efficiency of a small multi-tree felling head, mounted on a farm tractor with a timber trailer was studied, when harvesting small trees for energy in thinnings. Both separate loading and direct loading of the felled trees was studied. Time studies were carried out in a mixed stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.). The time consumption of the work elements in the different work methods was formulated by regression analysis, where the independent variables were tree size and degree of accumulation. The average size of the harvested trees was 0.035 m3. The time consumption for the harvesting and loading were similar for the two studied methods, 20 minutes per m3 at a tree size of 0.035 m3, but the two methods showed different characteristics for different tree sizes and level of accumulation. The direct loading method had the highest productivity when more than 0.1 m3 were collected in the felling cycle, whereas the separate loading method had the highest productivity when less than 0.05 m3 were collected in the felling cycle. The total effective time consumption for harvesting and forwarding the biomass 300 meters to roadside landing was 27 minutes per m3. The efficiency of the initial felling and collecting of the small trees was the main challenge. Both the harvesting technique and harvesting technology needs further development to provide a feasible production chain for woodfuel from energy thinning.
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Competition for canopy space is a fundamental structuring feature of forest ecosystems and remains an enduring focus of research attention. We used a spatial neighborhood approach to quantify the influence of local competition on the size of individual tree crowns in north-central British Columbia, where forests are dominated by subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and interior spruce (Picea glaucax engelmanii).Using maximum likelihood methods, we quantified crown radius and length as functions of tree size and competition, estimated by the species identity and spatial arrangement of neighboring trees.Tree crown size depended on tree bole size in all species. Given low levels of competition, pine displayed the widest, shortest tree crowns compared to the relatively long and narrow crowns found in spruce and fir. Sensitivity to crowding by neighbors declined with increasing tree height in all but the pine crown radius model. Five of the six selected best models included separate competition coefficients for each neighboring tree species, evidence that species generally differ in their competitive effects on neighboring tree crowns.The selected crown radius model for lodgepole pine, a shade-intolerant species, treated all neighbors as equivalent competitors. In all species, competition from neighbors exerted an important influence on crown size. Per-capita effects of competition across different sizes and species of neighbors and target trees varied, but subalpine fir generally displayed the strongest competitive effects on neighbors.Results from this study provide evidence that species differ both in their response to competition and in their competitive influence on neighbors, factors that may contribute to maintaining coexistence.