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Analysing individual 3D tree structure using the R package ITSMe

Terryn, Louise; Calders, Kim; Åkerblom, Markku; Bartholomeus, Harm; Disney, Mathias; Levick, Shaun; Origo, Niall; ... Verbeeck, Hans; + view all (2022) Analysing individual 3D tree structure using the R package ITSMe. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10.1111/2041-210X.14026. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

1. Detailed 3D quantification of tree structure plays a crucial role in understanding tree- and plot-level biophysical processes. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has led to a revolution in tree structural measurements and its 3D data are increasingly becoming publicly available. Yet, calculating structural metrics from LiDAR data can often be complex and time-consuming and potentially requires expert knowledge. / 2. We present the R package Individual Tree Structural Metrics (ITSMe), a toolbox that works with LiDAR tree point clouds and quantitative structure models (QSMs) derived from LiDAR point clouds to obtain individual tree structural metrics. It serves as a robust synthesis framework for researchers who want to readily obtain structural information from 3D data of individual trees. / 3. The package includes functions to determine basic structural metrics (tree height, diameter at breast height, diameter above buttresses, projected crown area, 3D alpha crown volume) from individual tree point clouds, as well as more complex structural metrics (individual tree component volumes, branch angle-, radius- and length-related metrics) from QSMs. / 4. The ITSMe package is an open-source package hosted on GitHub that will make the use of 3D data more straightforward and transparent for a range of end-users interested in exploiting tree structure information.

Type: Article
Title: Analysing individual 3D tree structure using the R package ITSMe
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.14026
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14026
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Methods in Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: LiDAR, quantitative structure models, R package, tree structural metrics
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/10160854
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