¶ STEMS (Single TrEe Metrics and Stand assessment
| Company | FP InModelvations |
| Country | Canada |
| Website | https://app-dev-stems-asp.azurewebsites.net/about |
| Category | Planning & Inventory › Remote sensing & mapping |
¶ Overview
STEMS (Single TrEe Metrics and Stand assessment) is a software framework or analytical toolset designed to extract individual tree-level biometric attributes and stand-level summary statistics from three-dimensional point cloud data, primarily derived from airborne or terrestrial LiDAR sensors and, increasingly, from dense photogrammetric point clouds generated by UAV structure-from-motion (SfM) processing. At the individual tree level, STEMS-type processing typically delivers measurements including tree height, crown height, crown width, crown projected area, crown volume, and derived metrics such as height-to-crown-base; at the stand level it aggregates these individual measurements to report stocking density (stems per hectare), basal area, quadratic mean diameter, dominant height, and stratified canopy cover statistics. The processing pipeline generally involves several sequential steps: ground point classification and digital terrain model generation, canopy height model production, individual tree detection and crown delineation using algorithms such as local maxima detection or region-growing segmentation, attribution of biometric parameters to each detected crown, and export of results as GIS layers and tabular inventory records. STEMS is particularly valuable in the context of precision forestry and continuous forest inventory, where rapid, non-destructive assessment of standing timber at individual-tree resolution enables better growth modelling, harvest scheduling, and carbon stock estimation than traditional plot-based sampling. In Australia, STEMS-type tools are being applied within the plantation softwood sector (radiata pine inventories in South Australia and Victoria) and in carbon project assessment under the Emissions Reduction Fund, where accurate above-ground biomass estimates linked to GPS-located individual trees support high-confidence carbon accounting and audit trails required by the Clean Energy Regulator.
¶ Assessment
A strong analytical tool that supports precise management decisions and reduces inventory uncertainty, offering clear operational risk-reduction value.
¶ Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | FP InModelvations |
| Country | Canada |
| Type | Company |
| FWPA RD&E | 7.3 |