3-D voxel-based solid modeling of a broad-leaved tree for accurate volume estimation using portable scanning lidar

We developed a method to produce a 3-D voxel-based solid model of a tree based on portable scanning lidar data for accurate estimation of the volume of the woody material. First, we obtained lidar measurements with a high laser pulse density from several measurement positions around the target, a Japanese zelkova tree. Next, we converted lidar-derived point-cloud data for the target into voxels. The voxel size was 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm. Then, we used differences in the spatial distribution of voxels to separate the stem and large branches (diameter > 1 cm) from small branches (diameter ⩽ 1 cm). We classified the voxels into sets corresponding to the stem and to each large branch and then interpolated voxels to fill out their surfaces and their interiors. We then merged the stem and large branches with the small branches. The resultant solid model of the entire tree was composed of consecutive voxels that filled the outer surface and the interior of the stem and large branches, and a cloud of voxels equivalent to small branches that were discretely scattered in mainly the upper part of the target. Using this model, we estimated the woody material volume by counting the number of voxels in each part and multiplying the number of voxels by the unit voxel volume (0.13 cm3). The percentage error of the volume of the stem and part of a large branch was 0.5%. The estimation error of a certain part of the small branches was 34.0%.