Consumer drone and terrain following produced 0.92 correlation with ground-truth timber volumes across 30 forest plots in British Columbia
Wanted to share a study that just came out in The Forestry Chronicle where UgCS (drone flight planning software) was part of the methodology.
Researchers from BC Ministry of Forests used a Mavic 2 Pro with UgCS terrain following to fly 30 one-hectare plots across the Lakes Timber Supply Area. The aim was to estimate current timber volumes in managed lodgepole pine stands, 24 years after initial establishment, and compare them to growth model predictions.
The terrain following was the critical piece. These are rolling interior BC sites, and they needed consistent 1.0-1.5 cm GSD across every plot for the canopy height models to work. UgCS adjusted flight altitude continuously using DEM data so the camera stayed at a constant height above ground. About 200 images per hectare, processed in Agisoft Metashape.
Results: 0.92 correlation between the UAV-derived volume estimates and hand-measured ground verification plots. That's from a $1,500 consumer drone with proper flight planning, not a $50k LiDAR rig.
The forestry findings were sobering too. Only 56% of lodgepole pine were still healthy (down from 74% in 1997), and BC's standard growth models only matched reality when they plugged in updated site productivity and disease mortality numbers. The original model inputs were way off.
Full case study with specs and methodology: https://www.sphengineering.com/news/ugcs-terrain-following-uav-forest-inventory-british-columbia
Citation: Woods, A., McCulloch, L., Watts, M. and Di Lucca, M. (2026). Bridging the gap between forecast growth and realized loss in managed forests. The Forestry Chronicle, 102(1): 44-58.