Estimating leaf area index in intensively managed pine plantations using airborne laser scanner data

► We modeled leaf area index for intensively managed pine plantations using lidar data. ► We used 109 plots under different stand conditions (age, nutrition, density, etc.). ► A new distributional metric calculated from the mode of lidar returns was developed. ► Other important metrics were LPI, mean intensity, mean and 20th percentile of returns. ► Best models R2 values ranged from 0.61 to 0.83 (with 2-6 lidar-derived variables).