It is obvious that China treesas anywhere in the world, they are a fundamental part of their landscape and culture. However, the true magnitude of its presence had never been measured as precision as now.
Now, A new technological advance It allowed to collect information at an unprecedented scale, generating data that completely change the way of understanding the country’s forest resources. Thus, through this tool, the curtain of a new scenario for the Environmental Management and the ecological planning On a large scale.
What was the technology that managed to count all the trees of China?
In recent years, the application of new technologies configured the way ecosystems are studied. One of the most significant advances comes from the combined use of sensors Lidar and Artificial Intelligence Algorithms. This technique gave way to a detailed and quantifiable model on the density, distribution and total number of trees in China.
The Lidar sensors (Acronym for English Lidar, Light detection and ranging either Laser imaging detection and ranging), Drones mountedthey emitted laser pulses towards the ground to obtain three -dimensional images of the vegetation.
This information was processed with specialized and complemented software with satellite data. Thus, A forest map was generated that reflects the precise location and the estimated amount of trees that currently exist in the country.
The scanned surface reaches 1,400 square kilometerswith A resolution of 100 meters per pixel. From these data, an automatic learning model expanded the information nationwide. The result was a detailed count of trees that exceeds 142.6 billion. This figure is equivalent to an average 100 trees for each inhabitant of China.
How does Lidar and Big Data technology work in the forest study?
The choice of the Lidar system is not accidental. This type of sensor allow to measure distances with great precision using You make pulsed laser light. Applied from the air, the system captures information on the height and shape of the vegetation. To calculate the exact position of each point collected, The system relies on a differential GPS and an inertial navigation system.
The result is A 3D points cloud that represents relief and forest coverage. This database was processed with LIDAR360, a geospatial analysis software that allows to detect and classify plant structures.
Despite some limitations, such as the difficulty in identifying small trees in dense forests, the results coincide with previous studies.
Among them, the Ninth National Inventory of Forest Resourcesmade between 2014 and 2018, which already pointed out a high tree density. According to that report, Many areas of the country exceed 1,000 trees per hectare. The novelty is that there is now a model with greater precision and space analysis capacity.
Where are the trees of China distributed?
The distribution of China’s trees is not uniform. There is a clear concentration in the regions of Northeast and Southwest, especially in provinces such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Heilongjiang. These areas, by themselves, add up to almost a third of the national total.
Some key data:
- Cold weather conifers represent 60% of the national total.
- The deciduous forests of temperate climate exceed 980 trees per hectare.
- In Xizang (Tibet), per capita density reaches the 1,980 trees per inhabitant.
- The Yangtsé basins, the southeast and the southwest are the most wooded in the country.
- The northern and northwest regions have a shortage of vegetation due to the advance of the Gobi desert.
In turn, patterns linked to climatic and water factors have also been identified. The rainiest areas coincide with the territories of greater forest densitywhile arid areas show a clear loss of green mass.
Does Lidar provide exact results?
Despite their precision, those responsible for the study warn that There could be trees that were not counted. In dense forests, the upper glasses can block the laser signal, making it difficult to detect bushes or young trees. This suggests that the real figure could be even higher.
Current technical limitations:
- Incomplete coverage in lower levels of the vegetable canopy.
- Difficulty distinguishing small trees under large glasses.
- Partial integration of land data in the Lidar360 software.
A possible solution would be to combine the data obtained from the air with terrestrial scanners, which would allow to increase vertical resolution and obtain a more complete image of the forest ecosystem.
What plans does China have about its trees?
He New forest map It also has practical implications. One of the most relevant projects is the call Great green walla vegetation belt destined to curb desertification of northern China. From 1978this program planted More than 66 million trees And it is expected to reach 100,000 million in 2050.
Thanks to the data generated with Lidar, the planting areas can be selected more accurately. This would allow:
- Avoid repopulations in places with little ecological viability.
- Select species adapted to the specific environment.
- Maximize the survival rate of planted trees.
- Minimize the impact on existing ecosystems.
On the other hand, knowing how many trees there are and where they find it has a direct utility in environmental management. Allows Estimate carbon absorption capacity, evaluate forest health and plan threat responses as fires, pests or droughts.
The new map also reinforces China’s position within global initiatives such as Trillion Tree, that seeks to plant a billion trees worldwide.
