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Kim Calders

@kimcalders.bsky.social

Scientist with Ghent University. Laser Scanning - Remote Sensing - Monitoring #forests with #LiDAR & #UAV. Made in Belgium.

531 Followers  |  375 Following  |  208 Posts  |  Joined: 20.11.2024
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Posts by Kim Calders (@kimcalders.bsky.social)

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Benchmarking tree instance segmentation of terrestrial laser scanning point clouds Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has revolutionized forest measurement techniques by providing detailed three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data that c…

New paper by Wout Cherlet & @qforestlab.bsky.social team led by @kimcalders.bsky.social, comparing tree extraction methods from TLS data. TL;DR it's hard to automate, ecosystem dependent & parametric approaches currently outperform DL www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

04.11.2025 14:43 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The most well-know use-case of optical fibres is internet.
We show that it actually allows us to measure microclimate temperatures at the ultra-high resolution of 25 cm! Since these fibres can be very long, up to 30 km (!), this novel means of environmental monitoring seems super promising.

14.10.2025 06:47 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Expanding forest research with terrestrial LiDAR technology - Nature Communications This Review highlights how terrestrial laser scanning is transforming forest research by enabling highly detailed 3D measurements of trees, supporting applications in forest ecology, carbon monitoring, and biodiversity assessment.

Our new perspective on what TLS can (& can't) do in forest research www.nature.com/articles/s41... - led by Eduardo Maeda w lots of great colleagues including @kimcalders.bsky.social @emilyrlines.bsky.social @louiseterryn.bsky.social @benjaminbrede.bsky.social (apols for any I don;t have @ for)

06.10.2025 15:35 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Integrating terrestrial and canopy laser scanning for comprehensive analysis of large old trees: Implications for single tree and biodiversity research Canopy laser scanning (CLS) enhances 3D measurements of large trees by lifting laser scanners into the canopy. Combining CLS with terrestrial laser scanning improves point cloud precision, reduces oc...

I like big trees and I cannot lie. Great bit of work by @kimcalders.bsky.social @louiseterryn.bsky.social and colleagues using innovative climbing and scanning approach. Stunning illustration of tree structural and biodiversity complexity zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

03.09.2025 10:02 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
This image features part of Bolivia. This vibrant image was created using the radar instrument’s different polarisation channels, with each colour revealing distinct characteristics of the landscape. For instance, green hues mainly represent rainforest, red hues forested floodplains and wetlands, and blue–purple is indicative of grasslands, while black areas are rivers and lakes. The image spans approximately 90 km along the Biomass satellite's flight path (length) and 60 km across in width, with north oriented to the right.

This image features part of Bolivia. This vibrant image was created using the radar instrument’s different polarisation channels, with each colour revealing distinct characteristics of the landscape. For instance, green hues mainly represent rainforest, red hues forested floodplains and wetlands, and blue–purple is indicative of grasslands, while black areas are rivers and lakes. The image spans approximately 90 km along the Biomass satellite's flight path (length) and 60 km across in width, with north oriented to the right.

πŸ†• The first stunning images from our groundbreaking #Biomass satellite mission have been released – they mark a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth’s forests are changing and exactly how they contribute to the global carbon cycle 🌳🌍

www.esa.int/Applications...

23.06.2025 10:55 β€” πŸ‘ 311    πŸ” 58    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 14
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Realistic virtual forests for understanding forest disturbances and recovery from space Forests worldwide are undergoing large-scale and unprecedented changes in terms of structure and composition due to land use change and natural distur…

Our new perspective on the use (& misuse) of what we're calling virtual forests (rather than digital twins!), for forest change from space, led by @kimcalders.bsky.social w many great colleagues πŸ”­ πŸ§ͺπŸ”¬ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

28.06.2025 11:43 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Job Alert!

We are hiring a new PhD candidate to work with me and @louiseterryn.bsky.social on multitemporal terrestrial laser scanning for better understanding forest structural dynamics at @qforestlab.bsky.social .

More info ➑️ bit.ly/449NunA
Apply here ➑️ bit.ly/3I5AnMP
Application deadline: Aug 3

20.06.2025 12:14 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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This is also the last field campaign as part of @erc.europa.eu SPACETWIN. Excellent work by our @qforestlab.bsky.social field team Zane Cooper, Wout Cherlet and Wouter Van den Broeck. [4/4]

10.06.2025 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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We have been using terrestrial laser scanning to acquire baseline structural data of trees within these dynamic forests. We will be back in the future to see how these forests have changed structurally over time. [3/4]

10.06.2025 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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This new permanent plot network is led by @westsyduhie.bsky.social‬ Brendan Choat. The plot network will incorporate cutting-edge sensor technologies that allow for real-time ecological monitoring of fauna and flora (more info ➑️ bit.ly/43YfdI0). [2/4]

10.06.2025 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Our campaign in the Blue Mountains is coming to an end. Since late April, we have been scanning several plots covering different vegetation types (33 done currently) within the Blue Mountains Hub for Ecology & Conservation. [1/4]

10.06.2025 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Sensors, scientists and sunshine. Thanks for the great Strucnet vegetation structural dynamics meeting @kimcalders.bsky.social.

15.05.2025 16:46 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Strucnet meeting organised by @kimcalders.bsky.social very much fun!

15.05.2025 16:07 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Ring 2 of the EucFACE experiment, May 2025. Trees have finally returned to good health after a string of extreme events

Ring 2 of the EucFACE experiment, May 2025. Trees have finally returned to good health after a string of extreme events

PhD students Wout and Zane from University of Ghent with TLS scanner at EucFACE

PhD students Wout and Zane from University of Ghent with TLS scanner at EucFACE

The #EucFACE canopy has finally recovered from the 19-20 drought and the 21-22 floods. Beautiful time for new Lidar scans! @westsyduhie.bsky.social @kimcalders.bsky.social

05.05.2025 06:13 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Job Alert - Come work with us at @qforestlab.bsky.social!

I'm hiring a postdoctoral fellow in vegetation remote sensing and radiative transfer to work on my @erc.europa.eu SPACETWIN project (spacetwin.ugent.be).

More info ➑️ www.ugent.be/en/work/scie...
Deadline: March 7

11.02.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Later this month, we will move to sector Jeinimeni, where there is currently a large outbreak ongoing – completely defoliating trees. Video from earlier this week [4/4]

17.01.2025 16:02 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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We are collecting terrestrial laser scanning data, spectral measurements of leaves, bark and understory and multispectral drone data. Not too much is known about these forests and these field measurements will result into a better understanding of these ecosystems. [3/4]

17.01.2025 16:02 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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We are setting up 6 new permanent plots in the El Furioso sector of the National Park, supported by CONAF. These sites had different impacts of caterpillar disturbance over the last decade. [2/4]

17.01.2025 16:02 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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We are currently in Patagonia for our @ercresearch.bsky.social project #SPACETWIN, looking at the impact of caterpillar (Ormiscodes amphimone) disturbance on the Nothofagus forests. This is a @qforestlab.bsky.social collaboration with the team of Roberto O. ChΓ‘vez from PUCV in ValparaΓ­so [1/4]

17.01.2025 16:02 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

@qforestlab.bsky.social There are so many leaf-wood separation algorithms, don't know how to choose?

Our latest work (from @qforestlab.bsky.social ) has addressed this issue by providing a robust evaluation framework. Interested? please check our paper: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kKNW7qzT3...

30.12.2024 12:37 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The TFE has been running since 2001. With the roof being taken off now, it becomes a recovery experiment. In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh (UK) and The Universidade Federal de Para & Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (Brazil). [2/2]

28.11.2024 11:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Wouter & Wout from @qforestlab.bsky.social are currently collecting TLS data at the CaxiuanΓ£ through-fall exclusion (TFE) experiment for our #ERC SPACETWIN working with our Brazilian collaborators and Patrick Meir. Continuing the TLS time-series that was initiated by @matdisney.bsky.social [1/2]

28.11.2024 11:06 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Global emergence of regional heatwave hotspots outpaces climate model simulations | PNAS Multiple recent record-shattering weather events raise questions about the adequacy of climate models to effectively predict and prepare for unprec...

Important finding for impact modelers by @kornhuber.bsky.social et al.: Climatic extremes change faster/ more severely than anticipated by climate models. The consequences anticipated with impact models (based on climate model-driven forcings) might thus be conservative. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

27.11.2024 07:01 β€” πŸ‘ 38    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Check out our database of 30+ ancient oaks 🌳 captured with #LiDAR

For the tree 😍: sketchfab.com/SCATTER.project

For the tree πŸ§‘β€πŸ”¬: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo…

Funded by the Woodland Trust. With support from the Ancient Tree Forum.

21.11.2024 22:13 β€” πŸ‘ 30    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The first month of our field campaign in the Queensland Permanent Rainforest Plots (@QPRPaus - ) has been a success with 6 plots already completed and 10 more to go in the coming weeks! [1/5]

15.07.2024 12:05 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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It was great having Maurice Leponce give a guest lecture in our BSc course on Ecology, covering Tropical forest biodiversity: large-scale inventories, canopy access, and the role of natural history museums.

Great inspiration for our students!

17.04.2024 12:29 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Experimental work on nondestructive monitoring of the dielectric permittivity dynamics of trees for @ERC_Research SPACETWIN with the installation of 2 wood penetrating radars.
In collaboration with FranΓ§ois Demontoux & Ludovic Villard.

05.02.2024 14:16 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Lathamus Keep, a Tasmanian giant Eucalyptus globulus (+80 m tall) in the Huon Valley scanned by terrestrial and canopy laser scanning.

At 8 m high, it’s diameter is still an astonishing 3 m!

View it in 3D here:

w. @TerraLuma @l_hambrecht @BarbaraDhont

19.01.2024 13:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Vacancy!

Join our team as a postdoctoral fellow (2yr position) on our newly funded @FWOVlaanderen project with @LouiseTerrynn and @shaunlevick!

Info:
Apply by Feb 9:

15.01.2024 14:37 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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What a great two weeks in Tasmania with @TerraLuma and @l_hambrecht mapping giant and old trees for @ERC_Research SPACETWIN. We managed to scan 10 giants (with some well over >80m in height).

19.12.2023 08:14 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0