Comparison of TLS and ULS Data for Wildlife Habitat Assessments in Temperate Woodlands

Abstract

This study employs LiDAR technology to calculate vegetation structural metrics that may be useful for assessing habitat quality and predicting the presence and abundance of structurally sensitive animal species. We compare outputs from two LiDAR platforms, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (RIEGL miniVUX-1UAV LiDAR; ULS) and a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (Topcon GLS2000; TLS) that we used to collect structural data from a critically endangered woodland ecosystem in SE Australia. This is also the site of a longterm restoration study and ongoing wildlife population monitoring. Despite better overall coverage by the ULS, the TLS provided considerably higher values for ground layer vegetation complexity and higher vegetation volume for the mid-story and canopy strata. We discuss the factors that may influence these observations and implications for using these sensors for habitat assessments.