An operational UAV-based approach for stand-level assessment of soil disturbance after forest harvesting. Issue 4 (19th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Talbot, Bruce; Rahlf, Johannes; Astrup, Rasmus
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of forest research. Volume 33:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 387
• Page End: 396
• Publication Date: 2018-05-19
• Subjects: drone -- aerial survey -- post-harvest -- logging -- wheel rutting -- site impact; Forests and forestry -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Forests and forestry -- Periodicals; Forests and forestry -- Research -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; 634.90948
• DOI: 10.1080/02827581.2017.1418421
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0282-7581

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The effectiveness of generating virtual transects on unmanned aerial vehicle-derived orthomosaics was evaluated in estimating the extent of soil disturbance by severity class. Combinations of 4 transect lengths (5–50 m) and five sampling intensities (1–20 transects per ha) were used in assessing traffic intensity and the severity of soil disturbance on six post-harvest, cut-to-length (CTL) clearfell sites. In total, 15% of the 33 ha studied showed some trace of vehicle traffic. Of this, 63% of was categorized as light (no visible surface disturbance). Traffic intensity varied from 787 to 1256 m ha −1, with a weighted mean of 956 m ha −1, approximately twice the geometrical minimum achievable with CTL technology under perfect conditions. An overall weighted mean of 4.7% of the total site area was compromised by severe rutting. A high sampling intensity, increasing with decreasing incidence of soil disturbance, is required if mean estimation error is to be kept below 20%. The paper presents a methodology that can be generally applied in forest management or in similar land-use evaluations.