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Integrating forest biometrics, modeling and planning

Homepage of Lauri Mehtätalo

 

Teaching and supervision

Research

Publications

Curriculum vitae

Presentations

R-codes

My research interests

Forest biometrics

The traditional topics in forest biometrics are models for site and stocking, modelling of tree and stand growth, modelling ingrowth and mortality, allometric relationships of trees, taper curves and volume models, and diameter distributions. I have conducted and I am currently conducting some research on these topics. My special interest is utilizing of sample measurements to improve the predictions from these models, by using the best linear (unbiased) predictor (BLP or BLUP). This terminology is closely related to mixed-effects models, but can be geberalized also to other models.

Diameter distributions

With diameter distributions my main interests are (i) how to take into account the mathematical relationships of stand variables and the diameter distribution into account in modelling, (ii) how to improve the prediction by using sample information, and (iii) modelling of percentile-based diameter distribution.

Forest planning

My research on forest palnning is related to the most effective and cost-efficient use of the forest data in planning. In addition, I am supervising theses on the effects of different sources of inaccuracy to the quality of a forest plan.

Remote sensing

My earlier research and PhD was about modelling forest stand structure, and especially tree size (=diameter distribution) and basic allometric relationships among trees of a stand (H-D curve). Together with some additional models (that for spatial pattern of tree locations and allometric relationships between tree size and crown properties), they essentially define probabilistic properties of a three-dimensional object called forest stand. In remote sensing, we are taking either two or three-dimensional observations from this object. Thus, my initial interest on forest stand structure has led me to think of the remote sensing as taking observations from a realization of a model for the forest stand.

Collaboration

In addition to the collaboration with the researchers of my own Faculty, I have national research collaboration with University of Jyväskylä (department of statistics), University of Helsinki (Department of forest resource managenment), University of Joensuu, department of mathematics, and the Finnish Forest Research Institute. My most active international collaborators are at the University of Jaume (Spain), Yale University (CT, USA) and Virginia Tech (VA, USA). I also have some more or less active collaboration with several other national and international organizations.

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"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it."
  --  Henry Ford

 


Last Updated: October 30, 2009