Virtual forests: a review on emerging questions in the use and application of 3D data in forestry

Abstract

Digital 3D technologies are emerging methods for recording and visualizing forests. Therefore, it is not surprising that these technologies have seen many applications and developments in recent years. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of existing 3D technologies within the context of forestry and how they interact with users and stakeholders. We present a summary of the requirements, visualization, and application of virtual forests. This includes an overview of state-of-the-art 3D reconstruction and visualization tools, which have seen a major increase in interest in the past few years, as evidenced by a preliminary analysis on research keywords. Based on the reviewed studies, we present the current trend and emerging questions, as well as challenges in the field of virtual forests. Further, we discuss the identified trends and challenges related to data acquisition, along with existing and potential future interactions between the 3D data and more specific demands from the forestry sector. We conclude that the use of digital 3D data in forestry is on the rise and that such novel methods show great potential and merit further attention.