Measuring change in forest biomass before and after fire

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/Sponsor: Other

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Sustainability and Environmental Inquiry

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1IP6tgEuB6rqjJc-kuXDUuj3eccXftIED

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.