Nation-Wide Mapping of Tree Growth using Repeated Airborne Laser Scanning

In this study, mapping of tree growth was performed using data from the two nation-wide acquisitions of airborne laser scanning in Sweden. Following the successful first national acquisition performed in 2009 - 2015, a new, repeated, scanning is now launched and ongoing. The first scanning provided new, accurate (in accuracy as well as in spatial resolution) data about the forest and quickly found wide-spread use in the forest industry. It outperformed previous methods and provided a new standard of data capture for forest management planning. The addition of a second scanning provide information also about changes, where forest tree growth is of high interest in the industry. This study presents the first results from large-scale assessment of growth for basal area-weighted mean tree height (H) and mean stem volume (V), using the bi-temporal scannings and sample-plot data from the National Forest Inventory. Growth was most accurately assessed by the direct change metrics of the scannings, although the accuracies were moderate. The accuracy of forecasts, i.e. only utilizing the predicted forest state at the first scanning, were similar for H but inferior for V, though.