Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning
The value of wood for different timber assortments can vary by a factor of ten. Optimization of stem assortments is, hence, a key element in the wood products supply chain, particularly for plantations. ‘Taper functions’ are commonly used in other countries to tackle this issue....
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doaj-ffa76e2718f14a9685b45bb69d2ae8002020-11-25T02:44:54ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072019-03-0110323910.3390/f10030239f10030239Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser ScanningNicola Puletti0Mirko Grotti1Roberto Scotti2Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA), Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, ItalyConsiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA), Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, ItalyNuoro Forestry School, Department of Agriculture, University of Sassari, Via C. Colombo 1, 08100 Nuoro, ItalyThe value of wood for different timber assortments can vary by a factor of ten. Optimization of stem assortments is, hence, a key element in the wood products supply chain, particularly for plantations. ‘Taper functions’ are commonly used in other countries to tackle this issue. In Italy, this approach has not yet entered operational use. These functions are developed based on measures of stem diameters taken at different distances from the base. Such measurements are commonly taken felling the tree and using a tape meter and tree caliper, clearly assuming some approximations. This research assesses the advantages, in terms of assortments evaluation, that can be obtained if the diameters at different heights are extracted adequately to process terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) output. TLS data have been collected, in a poplar plantation, on 36 trees distributed on three stands with different plantation densities in Padana Plane, Italy. The estimated profiles display high variability with an average of 1.6 cm of lateral compression. The results from this study demonstrate the potential and feasibility of estimating bole eccentricity by TLS, providing preliminary tools that will hopefully favor the diffusion of taper functions in operational environments.http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/10/3/239spacingplantation densityterrestrial laser scannertaper functionsbole eccentricity |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nicola Puletti Mirko Grotti Roberto Scotti |
spellingShingle |
Nicola Puletti Mirko Grotti Roberto Scotti Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning Forests spacing plantation density terrestrial laser scanner taper functions bole eccentricity |
author_facet |
Nicola Puletti Mirko Grotti Roberto Scotti |
author_sort |
Nicola Puletti |
title |
Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
title_short |
Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
title_full |
Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
title_fullStr |
Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evaluating the Eccentricities of Poplar Stem Profiles with Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
title_sort |
evaluating the eccentricities of poplar stem profiles with terrestrial laser scanning |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Forests |
issn |
1999-4907 |
publishDate |
2019-03-01 |
description |
The value of wood for different timber assortments can vary by a factor of ten. Optimization of stem assortments is, hence, a key element in the wood products supply chain, particularly for plantations. ‘Taper functions’ are commonly used in other countries to tackle this issue. In Italy, this approach has not yet entered operational use. These functions are developed based on measures of stem diameters taken at different distances from the base. Such measurements are commonly taken felling the tree and using a tape meter and tree caliper, clearly assuming some approximations. This research assesses the advantages, in terms of assortments evaluation, that can be obtained if the diameters at different heights are extracted adequately to process terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) output. TLS data have been collected, in a poplar plantation, on 36 trees distributed on three stands with different plantation densities in Padana Plane, Italy. The estimated profiles display high variability with an average of 1.6 cm of lateral compression. The results from this study demonstrate the potential and feasibility of estimating bole eccentricity by TLS, providing preliminary tools that will hopefully favor the diffusion of taper functions in operational environments. |
topic |
spacing plantation density terrestrial laser scanner taper functions bole eccentricity |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/10/3/239 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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