Presenter
:
Jake Williams
Co-Presenter(s)
:
Mahsa Karami
Presenter Status
:
Undergraduate student
Academic Year
:
22-23
Semester
:
Spring
Faculty Mentor
:
Lisa Bentley
Department
:
Biology
Funding Source/Program
:
Other
President's Strategic Plan Goal
:
Sustainability and Environmental Inquiry
Abstract
:
Forest fires cause a significant loss of tree biomass in California. Using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology, plots in forests were scanned before and after fire events. The TLS device is stationed at different points throughout a plot and records the time taken for a laser it emits to connect with a tree. This information is displayed as a point cloud which can be used to determine the total tree biomass lost. The resulting change affects forest structure and biomass distribution as it is related to climate change. We expect to find less biomass in areas that have burned.