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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2026, V. 23, No. 5, pp. 153-169

A methodology for processing airborne laser scanning data to evaluate the forest light regime

A.B. Alekseev 1 , A.S. Plotnikova 1 , D.V. Ilyasov 2 , I.V. Kupriianova 2 
1 Isaev Centre for Forest Ecology and Productivity RAS, Moscow, Russia
2 Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Accepted: 27.08.2026
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2026-23-5-153-169
One of the key parameters of forest phytoclimate is the light regime characterized by illumination levels. Both direct instrumental measurements and indirect methods are used to assess illumination. Direct measurements capture only instantaneous illumination conditions and strongly depend on weather and the time of the day. Indirect assessments are possible based on a range of forest canopy structural parameters, such as canopy closure and stand density, crown porosity and openness, and leaf area index (LAI). This study proposes a method for the indirect assessment of forest illumination using the generalized concept of tree canopy transparency. A methodology for processing airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is developed to spatially evaluate the forest light regime using continuous raster models of canopy transparency. The core stages of the methodology include: flight planning and airborne survey execution, primary ALS data processing, laser return point cloud classification, and canopy transparency determination. The requirements for flight parameters and laser scanner hardware settings are formulated. Within the framework of canopy transparency determination, an algorithm for calculating transparency from airborne laser scanning data is developed and implemented in software. The algorithm comprises five stages: (1) data preprocessing, virtual space generation, and point cloud tiling; (2) generation of a local measurement point grid; (3) laser return point subset extraction and voxelization; (4) mathematical modeling of spherical projection; and (5) aggregation of local measurements and raster model construction. The developed methodology is tested at study sites in Tver Region and at Mukhrino Field Station. Model validation is performed within sample plots established in the study areas using correlation analysis between transparency values, E. Landolt’s light indicator values, and leaf area index. The validation provides biologically sound confirmation of the accuracy of forest light regime evaluation using raster canopy transparency models created on the basis of the developed methodology.
Keywords: airborne laser scanning, canopy closure, forest light regime, Leaf Area Index, LAI, E. Landolt’s ecological scale, Mukhrino Field Station
Full text

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