Uso del escáner láser terrestre (TLS) para el inventario de plantaciones de teca en la región costa de Ecuador.

Abstract

The usual practice in forest inventories is the field survey of plots and measurement of dendrometric variables using traditional procedures. An alternative method of sampling is the use of the terrestrial laser scanner for the extraction of tree metrics in the plots. In this work the precision and efficiency of the forest inventory method was evaluated by means of a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) for the determination of dasometric variables in teak plantations (Tectona grandis Linn). For this work, 500 m2 plots were established in teak plantations on three farms in the Costa de Ecuador region where their main dendrometric variables, diameter, height and cup radii were measured. In the same locations, TLS measurements were made and the metrics were extracted to the same variables measured in the traditional inventory, in addition the work times in each inventory method were determined. By means of the Student's T test, the estimates of the dasometric indices for each type of inventory method were contrasted and the relative efficiency of the TLS method with respect to the traditional one was determined, as a result it was obtained that the test of contrasts did not detect differences between types of Sampling for any of the variables and working times. The relative efficiency values showed some superiority of the TLS method over the traditional inventory method, the results obtained affirm that both methods are sufficiently precise, the errors, eventually, can be attributable to the instrumental procedures of measurement in the terrestrial inventory.