Uncrewed aerial system imagery and collocated validation field plots from assessment of forest spatial pattern in Black Hills South Dakota, USA restoration treatments

This data publication includes uncrewed aerial system (UAS) imagery collected in 2023 to characterize the forest spatial pattern following five unique silvicultural prescriptions implemented in the Black Hills Experimental Forest in South Dakota. The imagery includes 6,185 photo points and is accompanied by 115 ground control points established to ensure alignment of the UAS and field observations, and 46 one-tenth acre circular plots of stem mapped Pinus ponderosa trees for use in validating both tree and plot level forest structural metrics. Additionally, a geospatial layer is provided that delineates and defines the management units and the five prescriptions implemented within them.
These data were collected to evaluate the ability of five individual tree marking strategies to recreate the historical clumping patterns seen in Black Hills ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. The intention was to leverage UAS-derived forest inventory data from structure-from-motion photogrammetry to compare the spatial patterns from the individual tree marking strategies against locally collected metrics describing the historical range of variation.
For more information about this study and these data, see Tinkham et al. (in review) and the accompanying supplemental map (\Supplements\UAS_Flight_Plan.pdf) depicting the approximate ground control point locations and how the site was divided to minimize elevation change within the different uncrewed aerial system flights.

本数据集收录了2023年采集的无人机系统（uncrewed aerial system, UAS）影像，用于表征美国南达科他州布莱克山试验林场内5种独特营林措施实施后的森林空间格局。该影像集包含6185个摄影点位，配套有115个地面控制点以确保无人机影像与野外观测数据的空间配准，另有46个面积为十分之一英亩的圆形样地，对样地内的美国黄松（Pinus ponderosa）进行了树干测绘，用于验证单木及样地尺度的森林结构指标。此外，本数据集还提供了地理空间图层，用于划定并说明林场管理单元以及各单元内实施的5种营林措施。
本数据集的采集目的是评估5种单木标记策略还原布莱克山黄松林历史集群分布格局的能力。研究旨在利用基于运动恢复结构摄影测量法获取的无人机森林调查数据，将不同单木标记策略得到的空间格局与当地实测的历史变异范围指标进行对比。
如需了解本研究与数据集的更多细节，请参阅Tinkham等人的待刊论文，以及配套的补充地图（SupplementsUAS_Flight_Plan.pdf），该地图标注了地面控制点的大致位置，以及为最小化不同无人机航飞间的高程变化而进行的场地分区方案。