Drone LiDAR Through Trees

Can Drone LiDAR See Through Trees?

One of the biggest advantages of aerial LiDAR is its ability to collect terrain information beneath vegetation.

Unlike traditional aerial imagery alone, LiDAR sensors emit laser pulses capable of penetrating gaps within tree canopies and brush. Some of these laser returns reach the ground surface and can be used to generate accurate terrain models beneath vegetation.

This capability makes drone LiDAR extremely valuable for:

Topographic surveys
Utility corridor mapping
Forestry projects
Land development
Environmental projects
Infrastructure planning

Why Photogrammetry Alone Often Struggles

Photogrammetry relies on visible imagery. In heavily wooded environments, aerial imagery typically captures only the tree canopy rather than the ground beneath.

This can result in inaccurate surface models when vegetation is dense.

LiDAR provides a significant advantage by allowing ground returns to be extracted from beneath the vegetation canopy.

LiDAR Classification and Terrain Extraction

Modern LiDAR workflows involve advanced point cloud classification processes used to separate:

Ground points
Vegetation
Structures
Utilities
Noise

At SKYMAPTEK, LiDAR classification workflows are utilized to generate accurate terrain models and engineering-ready deliverables even in challenging environments.

Applications for Vegetation

Penetration LiDAR

Drone LiDAR beneath vegetation is commonly utilized for:

Roadway design
Pipeline corridors
Utility corridors
Flood studies
Site development
Environmental analysis
Forestry mapping
Terrain modeling

Deliverables

Typical deliverables include:

Classified point clouds
Bare-earth terrain models
Contours
Breaklines
CAD linework
Orthomosaics
Engineering-ready surfaces

SKYMAPTEK provides survey-grade LiDAR mapping and geospatial deliverables for projects throughout WV, MD, PA, VA & OH.

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