Multi-temporal fine-scale modelling of Larix decidua forest plots using terrestrial LiDAR and hemispherical photographs

Fine-scale architectural tree models serve as an effective representation of three-dimensional plant material distributions. They can help to quantify wood volume and biomass, to estimate leaf area distributions on a detailed scale, and can be exploited for physically based modelling approaches. If architectural tree models can be derived for multiple acquisition dates, they permit the detailed investigation of phenological effects. Although promising approaches for the generation of architectural tree/forest models from terrestrial LiDAR data are available, they are often non-trivial and their application to forest plots is often difficult. This is restricting the flexibility of these reconstruction approaches especially for multi-temporal analyses. In this paper, forest models of two Larix decidua forest plots are reconstructed by making use of terrestrial LiDAR data and digital hemispherical photographs (DHP). Recent modelling strategies are enhanced and developed further in order to improve the robustness and usability of the architectural tree model reconstruction process.