Forestry – Lidar: Avg Tree Height (basal area weighted) – 2019

This data is a Lidar-derived estimate of the Average Tree Height in a stand. It was developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources using Lidar that was collected in 2019. The average height (also called Lorey's height or basal area weighted height) is obtained by multiplying the total height and basal area of individual sample trees, and then dividing the sum of the products by the total plot-level basal area. Basal area weighted heights were calculated for each of the 120 sample plots, and the Lidar-derived metrics for the plots were used as predictors to build a relationship (linear regression model) that was finally extended over the entire area of interest using selected Lidarpredictors at 20 meter spatial resolution. This information can provide foresters a better understanding of the stand and how it should be managed.