Quantifying Forest Dynamics with Terrestrial Laser Scanning: Shilin Chen Visits Oxford

This month, we’re delighted to host Dr. Shilin Chen from Ghent University’s Q-Forest Lab as a visiting researcher in the Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme at the University of Oxford. During our recent lab meeting, Shilin shared insights from his newly published paper in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, titled Quantifying forest structural attributes and aboveground carbon dynamics with terrestrial laser scanning in a temperate deciduous forest, as well as the study he is currently doing, Characterizing structure dynamics of deadwood with terrestrial laser scanning. His talk offered a compelling look into how terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is transforming forest monitoring and aboveground carbon stock quantification.

Shilin’s research focuses on Wytham Woods, a temperate broadleaf forest near Oxford, home to 23 tree species including ash, sycamore, and oak. Over a 6-hectare study area, he and his collaborators conducted leaf-on and leaf-off TLS campaigns in the summers and winters of 2015 and 2022 to assess structural changes over time. Using a combination of TLS and ground plot data, they manually segmented trees from subplots and reconstructed 3D models using quantitative structure models (QSMs). This enabled precise measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH), stem and branch volumes, and total tree volume.

The findings reveal a forest in flux. While the overall structure remained similar between 2016 and 2022, tree height increased and canopy cover shifted due to mortality and subsequent gap-filling by neighbouring trees. Sycamore emerged as the dominant and most abundant species; however, its total volume exhibited a slight net decline.Importantly, the aboveground carbon stock (AGC) remained relatively stable—rising modestly from 269.93 to 272.98 Mg C with a net carbon gain of 0.4 Mg C/ha/year over the six-year period—highlighting the disproportionate role of large trees in carbon storage. Trees with DBH over 60 cm contributed more than 40% of the total AGC, despite being fewer in number.

Shilin’s work also underscores the value of TLS in deadwood quantification. Downed deadwood accounted for over half of the total deadwood volume, while large pieces (diameter > 40 cm) made up just 3% of the count but over 55% of the volume. These insights are crucial for understanding carbon cycling and habitat complexity.

His take-home messages were clear: forest structural attributes are increasing, branch dynamics are key to carbon flux, and TLS offers unparalleled resolution for tracking deadwood and mortality patterns. Tree death, it turns out, is not random—it’s shaped by geography, topography, and crown competition.

Shilin’s goal while he visits our lab is to: (1) get a better understanding of forest dynamics and its drivers as well as the forest change trends in near future; (2) conduct more in-depth study on the structural dynamics of deadwood, such as deadwood decomposition rate, driving factors, etc.

We’re thrilled to have Shilin with us this month and look forward to further collaboration as TLS continues to reshape how we study forest ecosystems.

Dr Shilin Chen collecting TLS data at a field site in Bosland National Park, Belgium.

You can read more about his research here or on our publications page.