Producing information from airborne LiDAR data for peatland forest management
Niemi M. (2022). Producing information from airborne LiDAR data for peatland forest management. https://doi.org/10.14214/df.331
Abstract
In Finland, peatland forests are significant for wood supply, although simultaneously, they are also important for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water conservation, and recreation. In the 1960s and 1970s, peatland forests in Finland were extensively drained to increase tree growth and fulfil the needs of the forest sector. However, this extensive drainage has negatively impacted on the biodiversity of peatland ecosystems, and substantially increased nutrient and sediment emissions to lakes and rivers resulting in eutrophication, turbidity, and brownification of these water bodies.
This dissertation presents a number of approaches to move peatland forest management in a more environmentally sound direction, which may increase the general acceptability of peatland forestry. Airborne LiDAR (Light detection and ranging, i.e., laser scanning) derived 3D point cloud provides useful data, for example, to estimate forest biomass, to identify low-productive peatland forests, to model overland water flows, and to identify wet areas. The strength of airborne LiDAR is the ability of laser pulses to pass through tree canopies and obtain accurate observations from the ground level. The information derived from airborne LiDAR can enhance the planning of peatland forest management, as much of the planning can be done remotely, and supplementary field work can be implemented in areas of strategic need.
This study presented the novel idea of applying local binary patterns for the prediction of terrain trafficability, which should be considered in further studies and practice. The moisture index derived from the local neighborhood can reveal the small-scale variations in terrain moisture. This study also presented the novel idea to create spatial models to identify suitable locations for water protection structures, which may help forest managers to plan water protection of ditch network maintenance or peatland restoration operations. Overall, the utilization of airborne LiDAR-derived information for the development of peatland forestry practices shows great potential.
Keywords
forest inventory;
remote sensing;
water protection;
digital elevation model;
overland flow modeling;
terrain trafficability
Published 28 November 2022
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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/df.331 | Download PDF
Original articles
Niemi M, Vastaranta M, Peuhkurinen J, Holopainen M (2015) Forest inventory attribute prediction using airborne laser scanning in low-productive forestry-drained boreal peatlands. Silva Fennica 49(2), article id 1218.
https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1218
Niemi MT, Vastaranta M, Vauhkonen J, Melkas T, Holopainen M (2017) Airborne LiDAR-derived elevation data in terrain trafficability mapping. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 32(8): 726–773.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2017.1296181
Niemi MT (2021) Improvements to stream extraction and soil wetness mapping within a forested catchment by increasing airborne LiDAR data density – A case study in Parkano, Western Finland. Silva Fennica 55(5), article id 10557.
https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10557
Niemi MT, Ojanen P, Sarkkola S, Vasander H, Minkkinen K, Vauhkonen J. Using digital terrain model for placing overland flow fields and uncleaned ditch sections for water protection in peatland forest management. Manuscript.