%0 Research article %T Boreal forest structure assessment using harvester-mounted, drone-based and backpack mobile laser scanning systems​​ %A Kafle, Binod %A Kankare, Ville %A Kaartinen, Harri %A Väätäinen, Kari %A Hyyti, Heikki %A Faitli, Tamas %A Koivumäki, Niko %A Hyyppä, Juha %A Kukko, Antero %A Kärhä, Kalle %D 2026 %J Silva Fennica %V 60 %N 3 %R doi:10.14214/sf.25056 %U https://silvafennica.fi/article/25056 %X

Harvester-mounted mobile laser scanning (HarvMLS) is a novel approach to quantify forest structure in situ during harvesting operations. However, its reliability relative to established aerial and ground-based laser scanning systems remains unknown. In this study, we benchmarked HarvMLS against drone-based laser scanning (DLS) and backpack mobile laser scanning (BpMLS) for forest structure assessment. Point cloud data were acquired using these laser scanning systems in a boreal forest in southern Finland during thinning operations in 2024. HarvMLS collected data during thinning, while BpMLS and DLS collected data immediately before and after thinning. A grid-level approach was used for point cloud processing. Sixty-two 10 m × 10 m plots were analyzed, each with pre- and post-thinning data. Forest structure was characterised using estimates of structural attributes and complexity. The structural attributes included canopy height, canopy cover (CC), and filled voxel proportion (FVP). Structural complexity was quantified using the coefficient of variation (CV) of the structural attributes. Furthermore, FVP was analyzed across various canopy height classes to evaluate the scanning system’s capacity to capture vegetation density at different canopy layers. The scanning systems consistently estimated canopy height, CC, and the CV of these attributes, including the CV of FVP. Significant differences were detected for FVP and FVP at lower canopy layers (<15 m). However, post hoc tests showed no significant difference between HarvMLS and BpMLS. These findings indicate that HarvMLS provides reliable estimates of forest structural attributes and their variability during active forest operations.