Forests undergo laser scans

CSIRO scientists are scanning eucalyptus trees with lasers to reveal their woody secrets.

Using ground-based laser scanning technology they're estimating how much plant material forests have. Data on the type and structure of plant material helps scientists understand how healthy forests are and how much carbon they store - this provides information on how much carbon we might be able to store in our landscapes to help reduce climate change impacts.

This animation was produced from ground-based laser data acquired at a revegetation site in Western Victoria. The colours represent the vegetation distance (in metres) from the instrument. For example, all the green colours are about 4.5m from the laser scanner. Knowing the distance from the laser instrument to the plant material enables scientists to calculate foliage area and tree stem volume.

More information: http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/Flagships/Sustainable-Agriculture-...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• csiro
• science
• research
• carbon
• vegetation
• carbon storage
• laser
• laser scan
• climate change
• revegetation