Voxel-Based 3-D Modeling of Individual Trees for Estimating Leaf Area Density Using High-Resolution Portable Scanning Lidar

A method for accurate estimation of leaf area density (LAD) and the cumulative leaf area index (LAI) profiles of small trees ( Camellia sasanqua and Deutzia crenata ) under different conditions was demonstrated, which used precise voxel-based tree models produced by high-resolution portable scanning lidar. In this voxel-based canopy profiling (VCP) method, data for each horizontal layer of the canopy of each tree were collected from symmetrical azimuthal measurement points around the tree using optimally inclined laser beams. The data were then converted into a voxel-based three-dimensional model that reproduced the tree precisely, including within the canopy. This precise voxel model allowed the LAD and LAI of these trees, which have extremely dense and nonrandomly distributed foliage, to be computed by direct counting of the beam-contact frequency in each layer using a point-quadrat method. Corrections for leaf inclination and nonphotosynthetic tissues reduced the estimation error. A beam incident zenith angle near 57.5deg offered a good correction for leaf inclination without knowledge of the actual leaf inclination. Non-photosynthetic tissues were removed by image-processing techniques. The best LAD estimations showed errors of 17% at the minimum horizontal layer thickness and of 0.7% at the maximum thickness. The error of the best LAI estimations was also 0.7%