High‐resolution digital canopy height models, terrain models, ortho‐mosaic photos, and canopy tree crown shapes derived from <scp>UAV</scp> ‐borne <scp>LiDAR</scp> at 22 tree census plots across Japanese natural forests

Abstract Recent developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology have enhanced the ability to capture precise three‐dimensional forest information at a lower cost. This article reports four types of high‐resolution digital datasets derived from UAV‐LiDAR measurements and associated fieldwork. The dataset includes 5 cm resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Canopy Height Models (CHMs), ortho‐mosaic photos with sub‐2.7 cm resolution, and 4328 tree crown polygons with information on 151 species, stem girth at breast height, and canopy height. Data were collected from 22 approximately 1‐ha long‐term monitoring plots across Japan, spanning major climate zones from subtropical to subarctic. These plots encompass evergreen conifer, broadleaf and conifer mixed, deciduous broadleaf, and evergreen broadleaf forests. UAV surveys were conducted from May 2022 to October 2023. Based on these data, we also report basic profiles of these natural forests: a median slope of 22.2° (ranging from 2.5° to 35.0° across sites), median canopy height of 19.2 m (10.5–25.2 m), median maximum canopy height of 29.4 m (17.6–39.8 m), median gap ratios of 1.7% (0–10.7%) and 7.7% (0–28.9%) depending on gap definitions, and median crown area of 42.9 m 2 (10.7–80.2 m 2 ) for canopy trees. This dataset is the first publicly available collection of forest structure and individual tree crown information for Japanese natural forests. We hope this dataset will be useful for a wide range of studies and analyses, from site‐specific case studies to global‐scale meta‐analyses. The metadata is available in MetaCat in JaLTER at https://jalter.diasjp.net/data/ERDP-2025-04 .

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Publication Details

Journal
Ecological Research
Published
2025-03-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12555
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.40
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article

High‐resolution digital canopy height models, terrain models, ortho‐mosaic photos, and canopy tree crown shapes derived from UAV ‐borne LiDAR at 22 tree census plots across Japanese natural forests

Hiromi Yamagawa, Naoyuki Nishimura, Tatsuro Nakaji, Masae I. Ishihara et al.
3 citations
Ecological Research
Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
2.40
article

High‐resolution digital canopy height models, terrain models, ortho‐mosaic photos, and canopy tree crown shapes derived from UAV ‐borne LiDAR at 22 tree census plots across Japanese natural forests

Hiromi Yamagawa, Naoyuki Nishimura, Tatsuro Nakaji, Masae I. Ishihara, Atsushi Takashima, Shigeo Kuramoto, Kyaw Kyaw Htoo, Md. Farhadur Rahman, Ryuichi Takeshige, Akira Itoh, Naoko Tokuchi, Hiroko Kurokawa, Masahiro Nakamura, Mahoko Noguchi, Kazuhiko Masaka, Hideyuki Ida, Ayumi Katayama, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Yusuke Onoda, Masayuki Maki, Atsushi Sakai, T. Kaneko, Naoaki Tashiro, Masanori Onishi
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Abstract Recent developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology have enhanced the ability to capture precise three‐dimensional forest information at a lower cost. This article reports four types of high‐resolution digital datasets derived from UAV‐LiDAR measurements and associated fieldwork. The dataset includes 5 cm resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Canopy Height Models (CHMs), ortho‐mosaic photos with sub‐2.7 cm resolution, and 4328 tree crown polygons with information on 151 species, stem girth at breast height, and canopy height. Data were collected from 22 approximately 1‐ha long‐term monitoring plots across Japan, spanning major climate zones from subtropical to subarctic. These plots encompass evergreen conifer, broadleaf and conifer mixed, deciduous broadleaf, and evergreen broadleaf forests. UAV surveys were conducted from May 2022 to October 2023. Based on these data, we also report basic profiles of these natural forests: a median slope of 22.2° (ranging from 2.5° to 35.0° across sites), median canopy height of 19.2 m (10.5–25.2 m), median maximum canopy height of 29.4 m (17.6–39.8 m), median gap ratios of 1.7% (0–10.7%) and 7.7% (0–28.9%) depending on gap definitions, and median crown area of 42.9 m 2 (10.7–80.2 m 2 ) for canopy trees. This dataset is the first publicly available collection of forest structure and individual tree crown information for Japanese natural forests. We hope this dataset will be useful for a wide range of studies and analyses, from site‐specific case studies to global‐scale meta‐analyses. The metadata is available in MetaCat in JaLTER at https://jalter.diasjp.net/data/ERDP-2025-04 .

Ecological ResearchVol. 40(4)
Kyushu University (JP), Shinshu University (JP), Gunma University (JP), Iwate University (JP), National Institute for Environmental Studies (JP), Tohoku University (JP), Hokkaido University (JP), Gazipur Agricultural University (BD), Kyoto University (JP), University of the Ryukyus (JP), Kyoto University of Education (JP), Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (JP), National Institute of Technology, Tomakomai College (JP), Osaka Metropolitan University (JP), Akita Prefectural University (JP), Tokyo Metropolitan University (JP)
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
2.40
DOISourceOpenAlex
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