Tree Detection with a Mobile Laser Scanner

Tree detection has been considered in a number of forest-related applications, mostly related to the need of determining the presence and position of trees, and, in certain cases, the associated biomass. Most of the tree detection methods are typically based on the use of LiDAR surveys, and they often aim either at determining tree crowns or stems. This paper proposes the use of a low cost hand held device to acquire a good spatial description of the area close to the track reachable by the operator holding the acquisition device. Then, a tree detection method based on the local application of the Hough trasform is presented. The performance of the system is checked in an area hit by the Vaia storm in 2018.