Delineating and Reconstructing 3D Forest Fuel Components and Volumes with Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Predictive accuracy in wildland fire behavior is contingent on a thorough understanding of the 3D fuel distribution. However, this task is complicated by the complex nature of fuel forms and the associated constraints in sampling and quantification. In this study, twelve terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) plot scans were sampled within the mountain pine beetle-impacted forests of Jasper National Park, Canada. The TLS point clouds were delineated into eight classes, namely individual-tree stems, branches, foliage, downed woody logs, sapling stems, below-canopy branches, grass layer, and ground-surface points using a transformer-based deep learning classifier. The fine-scale 3D architecture of trees and branches was reconstructed using a quantitative structural model (QSM) based on the multi-class components from the previous step, with volume attributes extracted and analyzed at the branch, tree, and plot levels. The classification accuracy was evaluated by partially validating the results through field measurements of tree height, diameter-at-breast height (DBH), and live crown base height (LCBH). The extraction and reconstruction of 3D wood components enable advanced fuel characterization with high heterogeneity. The existence of ladder trees was found to increase the vertical overlap of volumes between tree branches and below-canopy branches from 8.4% to 10.8%.

Automated summary

This study investigates the fuel distribution in mountain pine beetle-impacted forests using terrestrial laser scanning technology. The point clouds obtained from TLS are classified into different categories using a deep learning classifier, and a quantitative structural model is used to extract volume attributes of trees and branches. The results are partially validated through field measurements, and it is found that ladder trees increase the vertical overlap between tree branches and below-canopy branches.