Forestry 3D Sensing: Multi-Platform LiDAR Techniques, Canopy Modeling, and Growth Dynamics

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are complex three-dimensional ecosystems where structure, function, and dynamics are inherently tied to vertical and spatial patterns—from canopy architecture to root systems, and from individual tree growth to landscape-scale carbon cycling.

The advent of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology marked a transformative shift in forestry applications. Early airborne LiDAR in the 1990s enabled large-scale estimates of forest height and biomass, overcoming the limitations of 2D methods. As LiDAR platforms diversified—expanding to terrestrial, mobile, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)—so too did its applications in forests. Terrestrial and mobile LiDAR brought precision to individual tree structure and understory mapping, while UAV-LiDAR enabled the flexible, high-resolution monitoring of forest growth and spatial heterogeneity. Concurrently, advances in data processing (e.g., point cloud segmentation) have turned 3D point clouds into actionable forest metrics, making 3D sensing indispensable for applications like canopy trait mapping, growth monitoring, and adaptive management. Today, 3D sensing is the cornerstone of evidence-based forestry, bridging fine-scale ecological detail with landscape-scale decision-making.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research on the use of multi-platform LiDAR systems—including terrestrial, mobile, UAV-borne, and airborne platforms—for practical forestry applications. We welcome contributions that explore novel algorithms, such as data fusion techniques and 3D canopy modeling approaches, and analyses of forest growth and structural changes. Studies integrating LiDAR with ecological models, remote sensing data, or artificial intelligence to improve forest monitoring, carbon accounting, and our understanding of ecosystems are particularly encouraged.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Applications of multi-platform LiDAR to map forest structures (e.g., canopy height, crown volume, gap fraction, understory complexity) across diverse forest types (temperate, tropical, boreal, agroforestry).
• Canopy modeling applications, such as linking 3D structural traits to ecological functions (e.g., light interception, carbon sequestration, biodiversity habitat, carbon storage, pollinator habitat, flood mitigation).
• Growth dynamics applications, including monitoring intra-annual and long-term tree/stand growth, as well as quantifying responses to climate, human activities, pollution, disturbance (e.g., fire, pests), or management (e.g., thinning, restoration).
• Practical use cases for 3D data in forest inventory, carbon accounting, biodiversity assessment, and adaptive management.

We welcome contributions that bridge the fields of remote sensing, forest ecology, and management to highlight how 3D sensing transforms our ability to understand, protect, and sustainably use forest ecosystems.

Dr. Shangshu Cai
Dr. Jie Shao
Prof. Dr. Hui Shao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• forest 3D LiDAR sensing
• forest structure
• detection
• LiDAR point cloud segmentation in forest
• canopy characteristics
• forest growth dynamics monitoring
• multi-platform LiDAR system
• UAV
• forest inventory