Forestry Laser Rangefinder Application
Data collection is used for the inventory of forestry resources, that is, the height of trees and the height that can be used for commercial timber, vegetation drawing, the positioning of wild special trees and excellent trees, and the determination of the grade and economic value of trees in the region, or in the research of cultivation management, such as pruning, to determine the position of trees where a specific height is generated, to draw a profile of logging volume, and to determine the resource boundary; It is very important to measure and draw the terrain of the timber-bundling passage and investigate the roads and rugged paths before construction for general purposes when the timber-bundling method is considered in harvesting timber. Various problems (such as cost, accuracy, obstacles, etc.) may be encountered when using conventional surveys, aerial photography and GPS positioning that can be used in the past.
Field data collection is a long-term puzzle for surveyors, cartographers, GIS database managers, engineers and researchers. The problem is simple: how to efficiently and accurately collect positioning and physical feature data for mapping, cataloging, resource inventory and storage in the database.
In a given situation, it is annoying to find out the result of this problem. Because:
(1) There may be many methods and technologies that can be used;
(2) In most cases, no single method can provide complete and satisfactory results.
The application of laser technology, especially the laser rangefinder developed by Laser Technology Corporation (LTI) of the United States, has become more and more perfect since it was used as a prototype of field measurement by the Forestry Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture in 1990 and its future development and application were evaluated. It can be connected with data collectors and GPS, and can be equipped with a variety of software, which has pushed forestry measurement from manual compass, rope, inclinometer and old telescope to the era of multi-purpose instruments with single operation, full station and safety.
The measurement system designed by LTI is suitable for basic vegetation resources and timber sales inspection and planning measurement, logging volume distribution map and road survey and measurement. By June 1993, the US Forest Service had purchased more than 150 of these instruments. The laser rangefinder is not only fully functional, durable, but also cost-saving, especially in areas where the target is unclear. From the shrubbery in northern Idaho to the heavy rain forest in southeastern Alaska, this is proved.
China, with vast resources, is rich in forestry resources. With the large-scale production brought by the reform and opening up, the important position of forestry in the national economy has become increasingly significant, and the demand for commercial timber has surged. How to plan the development of forestry, measure the forestry resources with higher precision, and check and catalogue the forestry resources with the emphasis on timber sales have become important topics for forestry departments. We introduce the laser measurement technology, which will help to push China's forestry measurement technology into a new era.
