Terrestrial laser scanning-based aboveground biomass estimation across forest compartments in Patagonian forests: a workflow integrating freely available tools

Abstract

Forests cover nearly 30% of Earth's land surface and store about 80% of plant biomass, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, yet documented and reproducible workflows for terrestrial laser scanning-based aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation in temperate forests of the Southern Hemisphere remain scarce. We documented and validated a reproducible workflow integrating existing freely available tools, combining voxel-based methods and quantitative structure modelling, for estimating AGB across forest compartments (stems, branches, foliage and understory) in Patagonian temperate forests dominated by Nothofagus. TLS data were collected at tree and stand levels across three post-fire successional stages, and six trees were destructively sampled for validation. TLS-derived estimates showed strong agreement with field data, with concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) of 0.96 for diameter, 0.83 for height, 0.99 for stem volume and 0.94 for total volume, and relative root mean square error (RMSE) values of 7.3–17.0%. Total AGB showed a CCC of 0.93 and relative RMSE of 18.7%. Voxel-based estimates enabled biomass partitioning of fine vegetation components, and a sensitivity analysis of voxel size provides empirical guidance for future applications. The documented workflow and associated dataset provide a reproducible reference for TLS-based biomass estimation in structurally complex temperate forests of Patagonia.