Dry Biomass Estimation of Hedge Banks: Allometric Equation vs. Structure from Motion via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Stefan Lingner, Eiko Thiessen, Kerrin Müller and Eberhard Hartung
Additional contact information
Stefan Lingner: Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Eiko Thiessen: Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Kerrin Müller: Institute for Natural Resource Conservation, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Eberhard Hartung: Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

Journal of Forest Science, 2018, vol. 64, issue 4, 149-156

Abstract: The wood yield of hedge banks is very heterogeneous and hard to estimate in advance. The aim of the present study was to estimate the dry biomass of hedge banks shortly before harvesting using two different non-destructive approaches: (i) allometric equation based on DBH, (ii) volume calculations based on Structure from Motion; and to compare these estimations to the results of the (invasive) reference method: weighing after harvesting. Study objects were three different 100 m hedge banks in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany that were divided into 10 m segments (n = 30). These segments were harvested and weighed separately to calculate dry biomass. The allometric equation yielded a relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of 32.4%. The Structure from Motion (SfM) volume models yielded an rRMSE of 30.0%. These results indicate that SfM approaches are comparably precise to allometric equations for dry mass estimations of hedge banks. SfM approaches are less time consuming but have higher technical requirements.

Keywords: drone; dry mass; point cloud; trees outside forests (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/152/2017-JFS.html (text/html)
http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/152/2017-JFS.pdf (application/pdf)
free of charge

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:64:y:2018:i:4:id:152-2017-jfs

DOI: 10.17221/152/2017-JFS

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Forest Science is currently edited by Mgr. Ilona Procházková

More articles in Journal of Forest Science from Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ivo Andrle ().