Evaluation of UAV-based forest inventory system compared with LiDAR data

Forest spatial structure is essential for researches on forest ecosystem dynamics. Considering that the field measurement of forest structures over large field plot is labor-intensive and time-consuming, a forest inventory system is developed based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This study presented the initial evaluation of this system by comparisons with LiDAR data. Results showed that most trees appeared in LiDAR canopy height model (CHM) could also be detected in UAV CHM. The UAV system could measure forest height at plot level with R²=0.87 and RMSE=1.9 m taking CHM from LiDAR as reference data.