Abstract

In recent years there has been rapid development and uptake of laser systems operating on a principal of Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) in the inventory, assessment, and monitoring of forests. Applications of laser technology have included the estimation of forest biophysical parameters (including carbon) at the individual tree or stand level as part of local, regional and even national forest inventory. In addition, laser data have been used to monitor forest change, model susceptibility to wind or fire damage, and map wildlife habitat. Laser systems can operate on ground-based, airborne and satellite platforms. They are typically categorised as profiling or scanning systems supplying range or waveform information per laser pulse. This distinction is, however, becoming increasingly blurred as laser systems evolve. SilviLaser 2008 (http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/Silvilaser2008) was the eighth in a series of international conferences focusing on applications of laser systems for forest assessment and inventory. In September 2008, this well-established conference was brought to the UK. Previous conferences took place in Canada, Australia, Sweden, Germany, USA, Japan and Finland.