FAQ

Aerial mapping, done with airplanes, gives you a great top down view, perfect for large areas and canopy coverage analyses on a big scale. Data gathered by drone, or from a car or handheld scanner, gets you closer to the trunk and lower parts of the canopy. The level of detail is much higher, so you get better data accuracy and more parameters calculated more precisely. It all depends on what the main purpose of the project is.

There is no single best way to collect the data, only the best method for what you need to measure, where, and how big your area of interest is. That’s why we look at your goals first and match the capture method to them, rather than the other way around. And if you’re not sure where to start, our team is always happy to help you find the right fit.

When mobile mapping data is not available, Clear Timber Analytics collects high-quality
LiDAR data using drones, backpack systems, and handheld scanners. Through our global
network of certified service providers, we ensure fast and reliable data acquisition in full
compliance with national regulations, anywhere in the world.

The monitoring and repetition of the scanning depends on what you’re tracking and how fast your trees are changing. For general tree inventory management, once every 3 to 5 years is usually enough, trees grow slowly, especially in a tough urban setting. If you’re monitoring young trees, recently made significant tree replacements or new plantings, tracking storm damage, or working in areas under construction pressure, more frequent scans make sense. We’re happy to help you figure out a scanning interval that fits best to your goals and situation.

As long as the point cloud quality is good, with enough points and a clear image, the accuracy of our calculations is extremely high. If we’re not confident in the data, we simply don’t deliver it, so you can trust that what you get is solid.

Some parameters, like DBH or crown volume, need clean and complete data to calculate accurately. Issues like multi-stem trees, closely spaced or overlapping trees, partially occluded trunks, dense surrounding vegetation, urban obstacles, or gaps in coverage can all get in the way of that. In large datasets, not every one of these issues can be manually corrected, and when the underlying data isn’t reliable, the calculation just isn’t possible. Rather than guess, we leave the field blank so you won’t end up working with a number we’re not confident in.

Yes, definitely. Our data gives a great base to start with, but a professional interprets it and adds the context, the why and what’s next. Machines and technology can take over the simple and hard field work, like surveying and measurement, but they still can’t replace a specialist in the field. Trees are complex living creatures and aspects for example such as tree risk assessment, checking tree vitality, spotting fungi and interpreting how specific features influence a specific tree in a specific situation still need an arborist’s eye.