Rod Tysdal & Chris Laing – “Sustainable forests”

Looking at our own backyard…through new eyes!
– discoverpowellriver.com

The principle behind LIDAR imaging
– Bourgeau-Chavez et al. (2009)

Types of data that can be extracted from LIDAR images
– mdpi.com

In search of BIG trees. This figure illustrates old-school methods (examining orthophotos) and newer ones (LIDAR).
– mdpi.com

Example of a “point cloud” from LIDAR. This shows a canopy height profile across a narrow transect through a 500-year-old-growth Douglas fir forest.
– T. Spies and K. Olsen, Oregon State University

The level of detail possible is astounding!
– Opentopography.org

And some of the results are just beaultiful. This is “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone.
– Opentopography.org

Rod Tysdal & Chris Laing – “Sustainable forests”
by Andrew Bryant, 20 Nov 2014. 

Professional forester Rod Tysdal, who works for the Powell River Community Forest, and Chris Laing, a forestry consultant and owner of Results Based Forest Management Limited, teamed up to provide a fascinating glimpse into the use of modern technology in order to manage our forests in a sustainable way.

While focussing on local forests, Rod and Chris also showed how forestry methods have evolved over the years throughout the province.   Long gone are the old ways of hip-chains, flagging tape and dbh tapes.  More importantly, long gone are the days of simply harvesting trees and planting Douglas fir everywhere!

Instead, using advanced remote sensing methods such as LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and combining the resulting data using modern computer-based GIS (geographic information system) software, Rod and Chris showed the astounding amount of information that can be gleaned.

Forest heights, tree species, and even branching patterns can be clearly distinguished, making it far easier to know what “what is there” and “what can be sustainably harvested”.  It also allows foresters to tailor treatments specifically for a given area, improving forest productivity and helping us to know”what it will look like” for years or even decades into the future.

Eye-popping stuff!