Monitoring the Ecological Status of Roadside Trees on Ping-E Highway: TFRI Conducts Mobile LiDAR Scanning and Digital Archiving

Central News Agency

(CNA reporter Wang Shu-fen, Taipei, June 17) The government's previously launched 'Planting Trees for 100 Li' project along the Ping-E Highway has created a green landscape spanning over 100 kilometers. To accurately understand the ecological benefits of this initiative, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI) is employing mobile LiDAR scanning and digital archiving to establish a scientific growth database for the roadside trees along the highway.

The Ministry of Agriculture released a press statement today, stating that TFRI has confirmed through preliminary research that mobile LiDAR technology offers exceptional accuracy and efficiency in long-distance monitoring of roadside trees, supporting the assessment of the long-term ecological benefits and greening outcomes of the 'Planting Trees for 100 Li 2.0' project.

According to TFRI, to build upon previous research achievements, this year's project will further expand the scale of investigation by conducting mobile LiDAR scanning across a 14-kilometer stretch of selected road segments and key tree species. The goal is to establish a scientific growth database through digital archiving and continuous tracking analysis, enabling precise measurement of tree growth rates and biomass accumulation under Pingtung's environmental conditions, and thereby estimating overall carbon sequestration benefits and dynamic trends.

TFRI notes that the Ping-E Highway is a major transportation artery leading to the Hengchun Peninsula and Kenting National Park. The 'Planting Trees for 100 Li' project has created a green corridor exceeding 100 kilometers, transforming the visual experience of traditional roads and delivering multiple ecological benefits, including connecting wildlife habitats, regulating microclimates along the highway, and promoting carbon sequestration. The long-term growth and health of these roadside trees directly impact ecological balance and the sustainable development of roadside landscapes.

To scientifically monitor growth indicators of the roadside trees, TFRI previously conducted comprehensive evaluations using various sensing technologies, including drone-based LiDAR, handheld LiDAR, and mobile LiDAR, to assess their measurement performance. The results confirmed that mobile LiDAR is best suited for large-scale survey tasks.

Research also shows that mobile LiDAR measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height exhibit high consistency with field survey results, meeting research accuracy requirements. It can accurately reconstruct the 3D spatial structure of trees, significantly improving efficiency compared to traditional manual surveys, while eliminating the safety risks for staff conducting fieldwork on highways, thus providing high-quality, quantifiable foundational data for future scientific research.

TFRI aims to transform these detailed digital records into valuable green digital assets for the Ping-E Highway through this monitoring model. Furthermore, the digital assets can be extended to applications such as road disaster prevention, daily tree management decisions, and urban forest health early warnings, serving as a crucial guide for formulating adaptation strategies for green infrastructure in the face of climate change. (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150617