by Steve D’Eon Viewpoints BC Forest Professional / May-June 2011
LiDAR also provides extremely accurate terrain mapping for optimizing road location, cut block layout and wet area mapping. The Wet Areas Mapping Initiative in Alberta has imported a tool developed at the University of New Brunswick and is in use by JD Irving. The LiDAR data recently acquired by the AB government has made it possible to begin mapping ephemeral streams and wet areas that otherwise would go unnoticed under the normal vegetation cover. This means fewer surprises when planning roads and cutblocks.