Forests 2018, 9(1), 30; doi:10.3390/f9010030
A New Method for Characterizing Bark Microrelief Using 3D Vision Systems
1
Department of Process Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
2
Department of Biometry and Forest Productivity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada, 32-425 Krakow, Poland
3
Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2 November 2017 / Revised: 10 January 2018 / Accepted: 11 January 2018 / Published: 13 January 2018
(This article belongs to the Section Forest Inventory, Quantitative Methods and Remote Sensing)
Abstract
Bark microrelief (BM), or the spatial patterning of bark texture, is an important bark characteristic shown to significantly affect the ecophysiological functioning of forest ecosystems. BM influences bark micrometeorological conditions and stemflow generation which, in turn, impacts epiphytic vegetation and microbial community patterns, as well as insect foraging behavior. Thus, an objective method to quantify BM is important to understand and model hydro-biogeochemical processes in forest canopy ecosystems. The aim of this study was to develop a method for fast and automated imaging of bark surface morphology. Three-dimensional imaging methods using laser triangulation were used to describe BM. An automated system was developed and applied to calculate three new BM indices for samples collected from five trees representing species common throughout Poland (and Northern Europe): common oak, European ash, trembling aspen, Scots pine, and black alder. These new BM indices may be useful for characterizing and quantitatively relating BM to forest canopy ecophysiological functions. View Full-TextKeywords:
bark; surface parameters; 3D vision system; 3D image; image analysis
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MDPI and ACS Style
Sioma, A.; Socha, J.; Klamerus-Iwan, A. A New Method for Characterizing Bark Microrelief Using 3D Vision Systems. Forests 2018, 9, 30.
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