Preliminary scientific trials use LiDAR to calculate forest carbon in REDD projects in Indonesia

15 November 2010 – Preliminary scientific trials using LiDAR technology to calculate forest carbon stocks in REDD projects in Indonesia look promising.

Forest Carbon (http://www.forest-carbon.org), an Indonesia-based forestry and environmental consulting firm, and Credent Technology, a Singapore-based mapping technology provider, have partnered with The Nature Conservancy on a pilot project to map forest carbon stocks in Borneo using cutting edge LiDAR imaging technology.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technology that creates highly accurate 3D images of trees and terrain through the use of laser pulses sent from an overhead plane. LiDAR 3D images of forests could allow analysts to measure tree canopy height and crown diameter which could then be used to calculate forest carbon stocks with a high degree of accuracy.

Scott Stanley, Managing Director of Forest Carbon believes LiDAR could play a major role in future REDD projects. “The use of LiDAR to quickly and accurately assess the carbon stocks of large areas of forest in tropical countries, has the potential to greatly reduce REDD project costs and increase the accuracy of carbon stock assessments.” Credent and Forest Carbon are currently working to develop the appropriate methodologies to make LiDAR a useful technology in the development of REDD projects.

About Forest Carbon
Forest Carbon is a vertically integrated firm based in Indonesia capable of providing services for carbon baseline measurement, REDD project design and implementation, and forest monitoring for the voluntary and compliance markets. Forest Carbon’s experts are specialized in a number of core disciplines including tropical ecology, silviculture, GIS/remote sensing, social policy and environmental policy.

About Credent Technology (Asia) Pte Ltd
Credent offers airborne LiDAR, colour and colour infrared imagery collections for 3D mapping projects. The resulting products are used in forestry, mining, energy transmission, transportation, environment impact studies, cadastral mapping flood mapping and mitigation, and urban planning. Credent has been a leading provider of geospatial solutions and services in the region for 25 years.

About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. It is active in 50 countries and has protected more than 119 million acres of land.