Quantitative Genetic Aspects of Accuracy of Tree Biomass Measurement Using LiDAR

The growing focus on the role of forests in carbon sequestration highlights the importance of accurately and efficiently measuring biophysical traits, such as diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height. Understanding genetic contributions to trait variation is crucial for enhancing carbon storage through the genetic improvement of forest trees. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has been used to estimate DBH and tree height; however, few studies have explored the heritability of these traits or assessed the accuracy of biomass increment selection based on them. Therefore, this study aimed to leverage LiDAR to measure DBH and tree height, estimate tree heritability, and evaluate the accuracy of timber volume selection based on these traits, using 60-year-old larch as the study material. Unmanned aerial vehicle laser scanning (ULS) and backpack laser scanning (BLS) were compared against hand-measured values. The accuracy of DBH estimations using BLS resulted in a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.7 cm and a coefficient of determination of 0.67. Conversely, the accuracy achieved with ULS was 4.0 cm in RMSE and a 0.24 coefficient of determination. The heritability of DBH was higher with BLS than with ULS and even exceeded that of hand measurements. Comparisons of timber volume selection accuracy based on the measured traits demonstrated comparable performance between BLS and ULS. These findings underscore the potential of using LiDAR remote sensing to quantitatively measure forest tree biomass and facilitate their genetic improvement of carbon-sequestration ability based on these measurements.