Applicability of different non-invasive methods for tree mass estimation: A review

Biomass estimations of trees are used at various different special scales. Along with the scale, there are diverse demands on accuracy and technical requirements. This paper reports the state of the art of different methods for non-invasive tree mass estimation technics. Different studies about biomass estimations at different spatial scales were compared on basis of three assessment criteria: accuracy, efficiency, and technical requirements. Publications were searched via Google Scholar, Web of Science and ScienceDirect including years from 1980 to 2016. References of 20 studies could be used to compare 10 methods of biomass estimation. Allometric approaches are comparably accurate but are suitable for small area applications only. Remote sensing techniques are less accurate but more efficient. Lidar and SfM appear to be the most efficient and most accurate techniques for medium sized area applications. Especially SfM applications are promising due to lower technical requirements. Optical images are suitable for coarse but large area applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.