Hand-Held Personal Laser Scanning - Current Status and Perspectives for Forest Inventory Application

The emergence of hand-held Personal Laser Scanning (H-PLS) systems in recent years resulted in initial research on the possibility of its application in forest inventory, primarily for the estimation of the main tree attributes (e.g. tree detection, stem position, DBH, tree height, etc.). Research knowledge acquired so far can help to direct further research and eventually include H-PLS into operational forest inventory in the future. The main aims of this review are: double right arrow to present the current state of the art for H-PLS systems double right arrow briefly describe the fundamental concept and methods for H-PLS application in forest inventory double right arrow provide an overview of the results of previous studies double right arrow emphasize pros and cons for H-PLS application in forest inventory in relation to conventional field measurements and other similar laser scanning systems double right arrow highlight the main issues that should be covered by further H-PLS-based forest inventory studies.

Automated summary

Recent research has focused on the potential application of hand-held Personal Laser Scanning (H-PLS) systems in forest inventory, with the aim of eventually incorporating H-PLS into operational forest inventory. This review presents the current state of H-PLS systems, fundamental concepts and methods for their application in forest inventory, previous study results, pros and cons compared to other systems, and key areas for future research in H-PLS-based forest inventory.