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Investigating the Relationship Between Tree Competition, Tree Dimensions, and Leaf Area With Mobile Lidar
Abstract
Mobile lidar scanning was used near the Sam Houston National Forest to examine the relationship between tree dimensions, growth and competition rates of loblolly pines (Pinus taeda). The interactions between these two factors have previously not been thoroughly explored in loblolly pines, and little of that research has been conducted with mobile lidar. These scans recorded tree dimensions such as height, diameter at breast height, crown width, and the location of each tree in a 3D point cloud data file. Once dimensions and locations were recorded for the selected area of 89 trees, the competition indices, leaf area (LA), and leaf area index (LAI) were calculated, and regression analyses were utilized to find any and all relationships between each value. Multivariate regression was also applied to find the correlation between the predicted LA and LAI, and the calculated LA and LAI. When charted on a scatter plot, with predicted values as an independent variable, and calculated as a dependent variable, the resulting R2 value of 0.897 and 0.835 conclude that finding leaf area and leaf area index values with this methodology is effective and accurate. The multivariate regression also produced two equations that can use height, diameter at breast height, crown width, and competition indices to calculate the LA and LAI of loblolly pines to facilitate the process of these meticulous and onerous computations.
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Citation
Nelson, Mackenzie Marie (2023). Investigating the Relationship Between Tree Competition, Tree Dimensions, and Leaf Area With Mobile Lidar. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /203060.