Recent applications of point process methods in forestry statistics

Abstract

Forestry statistics is an important field of applied statistics with a long tradition. Many forestry problems can be solved by means of point processes or marked point processes. There, the “points ”are tree locations and the “marks ” are tree characteristics such as diameter at breast height or degree of damage by environmental factors. Point process characteristics are valuable tools for exploratory data analysis in forestry, for describing the variability of forest stands and for understanding and quantifying ecological relationships. Models of point processes are also an important basis of modern single-tree modeling, that gives simulation tools for the investigation of forest structures and for the prediction of results of forestry operations such as plantation and thinning.