Piotr Tompalski

All model coefficients are open access.
An R package (RSYC) offers access and visualization tools:
github.com/ptompalski/RSYC

RSYC provides a consistent, scalable way to estimate aboveground biomass across managed and unmanaged forests, supporting carbon accounting and forest monitoring in Canada.

Validation with independent field plots showed that the remote sensing yield curves (RSYC) generally achieved lower bias and RMSE than existing national models, with notable gains for black spruce and jack pine

Using annual Landsat-based estimates of forest age, species, and biomass, we developed over 1,800 yield curves for 27 species and three broader forest-type groups (coniferous, broadleaf, and generic).

Models were fitted at a 150 km tile level, balancing national consistency with local adaptation.

New paper in Forestry: National remote sensing-derived aboveground biomass yield curves for Canada
doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpaf067

With @txominhermos.bsky.social , S. Baral, @mikewulder.bsky.social , and J. White - using four decades of satellite data to model forest growth across Canada.

Thanks so much! We had a lot of fun putting this together. Glad you enjoyed the visualization!

It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, and just as exciting to make new ones.

A huge thank you to the organizers — what a well-organized and energizing conference!

#SilviLaser2025 #RemoteSensing #Forestry #LiDAR

Just wrapped up an inspiring week at SilviLaser 2025.
It was a real pleasure to attend, and an honor to deliver the keynote.

Conferences like Silvilaser remind me why I love working in forestry and remote sensing - not just for the science, but also for the people.

Global distribution of forest landscapes covered by airborne LiDAR

Only a pre-print for now, but after 4 years of hard work I couldn't resist sharing this!

The Global Canopy Atlas: analysis-ready maps of 3D structure for the world's woody ecosystems

📜: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Huge team effort led by the brilliant Fabian Fischer!

Banner showing Silvilaser 2025 logo as well as photos of the three keynote speakers

#Silvilaser2025 is coming up in 3 weeks!

We're getting excited so we wanted to remind you of our ✨3 keynote speakers✨

To read more about them visit 👉 www.silvilaser2025.com/speakers

Which talk are you most looking forward to?!

#remotesensing #laserscanning #forestmanagement #foresters

@dr-spoon.bsky.social you're on fire!!!

🌟Meet #Silvilaser2025 Keynote Speakers!🌟

1/3: Dr Piotr Tompalski (@piotrtompalski.bsky.social) is a Research Scientist with the Canadian Forest Service using #LiDAR, #photogrammetry & #SatelliteData to enhance carbon monitoring & forest growth modeling 🌲📡

📆 Early bird registration opens May 1st!

We're also working to keep this information up to date on this website:

📍 Canada's Forest LiDAR Coverage➡️ ptompalski.github.io/CanadaForest...

#ForestScience #LiDAR #SustainableForestry #RemoteSensing #ForestManagement #CanadaForests

Enhanced forest inventories in Canada: implementation, status, and research needs Forest inventory practices in Canada have evolved over time with changes in forest management priorities, advances in technology, fluctuations in the marketplace, societal expectations, and generation...

📄 White et al. 2025 – Enhanced Forest Inventories in Canada: Implementation, Status, and Research Needs

🔗 Read here: cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/...

🌲 Excited to share our latest work on Enhanced Forest Inventories (EFI) in Canada! 🌲

We take a close look at how EFI is being implemented across Canada's provinces & territories. We also summarize the extent of ALS acquired across Canada, with maps and tables (and an animation ⬆️).

Yesterday we celebrated the IRSS Twin Day! 👯‍♀️👯‍♂️

*10 YEARS* of capturing every time IRSS lab members dressed the same! (it happens more often than you'd think 😜)

Huge thanks to @piotrtompalski.bsky.social
for starting - and maintaining - this epic photo album throughout the years 🫶

SilviLaser 2025

Hey there @bsky.app!

Please join us for #SilviLaser2025 for a great conference on cutting-edge technology in laser scanning and forestry 🛰️🌲

🚩 Quebec City
📅 Sept 29 - Oct 3, 2025
📃 Abstracts due Feb 28. 2025

Learn more at silvilaser2025.com! 🌍
Please like and share this with your networks! 🙏

Great review paper on forest carbon + lidar!

New paper! 📣

Advances in #LaserScanning to Assess Carbon in #Forests: From Ground-Based to Space-Based Sensors
👉 see thread for more!

#OpenAccess🔓: doi.org/10.1007/s407...
✍️ Coops, Irwin, Seely & Hardy
🙏 #NSERC

@forestry.ubc.ca #RemoteSensing #ForestCarbon #Lidar #Drones #Salitte #Aircraft

If you'd like to learn more or give it a try, you can find it here: [ptompalski.github.io/lidRmetrics/](ptompalski.github.io/lidRmetrics/ "https://ptompalski.github.io/lidRmetrics/")

#Lidar #Forestry #RemoteSensing #RStats

For convenience, `lidRmetrics` also includes "metric sets"—predefined combinations of multiple metric groups that allow for comprehensive analysis with a single function call.

The package organizes metrics into specific functions:

- `metrics_basic()` – general point cloud statistics
- `metrics_percentiles()` – height percentiles
- `metrics_percabove()` & `metrics_dispersion()` – assess vertical structure
- `metrics_echo()` & `metrics_echo2()` – return type proportions

R code example with metrics_set3() function used to calculate pixel metrics.

If you're using the `lidR` package and looking to expand your point cloud analysis capabilities, the **lidRmetrics** package might be worth exploring. It offers a variety of additional metrics designed to provide a more detailed characterization of forest structure
ptompalski.github.io/lidRmetrics/

NEW PAPER 📢 Detection of disturbances using Harmonized #Landsat #Sentinel2 time series

#OpenAccess🔓: doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
✍️ Brown, Coops, Mulverhill, Achim
💰 NSERC, #Silva21

#UBCForestry #remotesensing #forestdisturbances

I was surprised it worked!

So far easier to use, but lubridate can do a lot more

the {anytime} R package is my new favorite when it comes to converting text to dates. Super easy to use and works even if dates have some weird formatting!
eddelbuettel.github.io/anytime/

#R #Rstats

not a mac user myself, but you could try asking JR directly (i.e. submitting an issue on github). JR usually replies quite quickly!

For me some of the not-very-helpful error messages (especially for new users).
good example would be "object of type closure is not subsettable"... 🤯

@mikewulder.bsky.social @txominhermos.bsky.social