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Terrestrial laser scanning to reconstruct branch architecture from harvested branches

Wilkes, P; Shenkin, A; Disney, M; Malhi, Y; Patrick Bentley, L; Boni Vicari, M; (2021) Terrestrial laser scanning to reconstruct branch architecture from harvested branches. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10.1111/2041-210x.13709. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Quantifying whole branch architecture is critical to understanding tree function, for example, branch surface area controls woody gas exchange. Yet, due to measurement difficulty, branch architecture of small diameter branches (e.g. <10 cm ø) is either modelled, subsampled or ignored. Methods that use Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) are now being widely applied to analyse tree and plot level tree architecture; however, resolving small diameter branches in-situ remains a challenge. Currently, it is suggested accurate reconstruction of small diameter branches can only be achieved by harvest and measurement in controlled conditions. Here we present a new TLS workflow for rapid and accurate reconstruction of complete branch architecture from harvested branches. The workflow sets out scan configuration, post processing (including a novel reectance filter) and fitting of Quantitative Structure Models (QSM) to reconstruct topologically coherent branch models. This is demonstrated on 595 branches (scanned indoors to negate the impact of wind) and compared with 65 branches that were manually measured (i.e. with measuring tape and callipers). Comparison of a suite of morphological and topological traits reveals a good agreement between TLS derived metrics and manual measurements where RMSE (%RMSE) for total branch length = 0.7 m (10%), volume = 0.09 litres (43%), surface area = 0.04 m2 (26%) and N tips = 6.4 (35%). Scanning was faster and invariant to branch size compared with manual measurements which required significantly more personnel time. We recommend measuring a subsample of tip-widths to constrain the QSM taper function as the TLS workflow tends to overestimate tip-width. The workflow presented here allows for a rapid characterisation of branch architecture from harvested branches. Increasing the number of branches analysed (e.g. many branches from a single tree or branches from many species globally) could allow for a comprehensive analysis of the “missing link" between the leaves and larger diameter branches.

Type: Article
Title: Terrestrial laser scanning to reconstruct branch architecture from harvested branches
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13709
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.13709
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: branch, canopy, architecture, structure, TLS, LiDAR, QSM, reconstruction
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10133875
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