Forest stand hydrological recovery of snow accumulation and ablation investigated using simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) enabled LiDAR
Date
2024
Authors
Potter, Cydne Rae
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Abstract
Forest-snow interactions were analyzed using fine-resolution mobile terrestrial LiDAR in four stands representing increasing forest maturity ranging from a recently replanted clearcut to a mature forest in the interior cedar – hemlock biogeoclimatic zone of the southern Selkirk Mountain range in British Columbia, Canada. LiDAR-derived models representing peak snow depth and daily ablation were used to assess the impact of sampling intensity on stand-level averages and to determine sampling distances required to capture between-stand differences and within-stand variability. The process of hydrological recovery, a term which describes the return of snow accumulation and ablation processes in regenerating forests to pre-disturbance conditions, was investigated at the scale of individual trees and for the full stand. Outcomes from this study better quantify the influence of tree growth on peak SWE and ablation rate at both the tree and stand level for north aspect mixed conifer stands. The process of negative ablation recovery in early juvenile stands reported in previous studies is herein clearly observed. The methods used increase transferability of outcomes to stands where canopy characteristics (i.e., height, crown cover, and heterogeneity) differ from the reference sites considered here.
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Keywords
Hydrological recovery, LiDAR, Snow, Forest disturbance, Snowpack recovery, SLAM LiDAR