Operational assessment of aboveground tree volume and biomass by terrestrial laser scanning

This study introduces a straightforward algorithm that simplifies biomass measurements of complex branch geometries using TLS and derives AGB by averaging measurements from individual scanning positions. We verified our approach through an experimental setup of branching systems with different complexities and known true biomass volumes. The results show that biomass extraction from branches by TLS systems is not affected by scanning distance. The combination of biomass measurements from individual scanning positions by averaging provides reliable biomass figures. Compared to the known true biomass figures, the overall accuracies achieved by our approach are 95% or higher, which brings the operational application of TLS for AGB measurements within tangible reach.