Using LiDAR to Measure Carbon Sequestration via Tree Count: A study on Gonzaga University Campus
Faculty Mentor
Dr Brian Buchanan
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
As climate change progresses due to increased levels of C02 in the Earths atmosphere, finding methods of sequestering C02 in a cost-effective way has become more valuable. Tree cover has been shown to play a significant role in carbon offset, accounting for 13% of national emissions in 2021 (Domke, G. M., Walter, B. F., et al, 2023) The amount of carbon stored in a tree is reliant on wood density (which varies with species) and the age of the tree, as evidenced by height (Lefebvre, D., Williams, A. G., et al, 2021). In 1998, the US Department of Energy released a guide for calculating carbon sequestration for trees in urban and suburban areas based on species and height (age). LiDAR derived imagery is an increasingly useful companion tool to this guide as it can measure, track and visualize tree cover by assessing:
- Number of trees in an area
- The height of the individual trees
- Health of the foliage
Height estimates using LiDAR surveys are more time and cost efficient than in person measurements, and have been shown to be more accurate, especially when trees are >20m (65.6ft) tall (Jurjevic, L., X. Liang, M., et al., 2019). For this study, LiDAR was used to assess the number and height of trees on the campus of Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. A small area was selected to produce calculations reflecting the level of carbon sequestration for that area, demonstrating the capabilities of this method.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Marilyn L., "Using LiDAR to Measure Carbon Sequestration via Tree Count: A study on Gonzaga University Campus" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 21.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/ps_2025/p2_2025/21
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Using LiDAR to Measure Carbon Sequestration via Tree Count: A study on Gonzaga University Campus
PUB NCR
As climate change progresses due to increased levels of C02 in the Earths atmosphere, finding methods of sequestering C02 in a cost-effective way has become more valuable. Tree cover has been shown to play a significant role in carbon offset, accounting for 13% of national emissions in 2021 (Domke, G. M., Walter, B. F., et al, 2023) The amount of carbon stored in a tree is reliant on wood density (which varies with species) and the age of the tree, as evidenced by height (Lefebvre, D., Williams, A. G., et al, 2021). In 1998, the US Department of Energy released a guide for calculating carbon sequestration for trees in urban and suburban areas based on species and height (age). LiDAR derived imagery is an increasingly useful companion tool to this guide as it can measure, track and visualize tree cover by assessing:
- Number of trees in an area
- The height of the individual trees
- Health of the foliage
Height estimates using LiDAR surveys are more time and cost efficient than in person measurements, and have been shown to be more accurate, especially when trees are >20m (65.6ft) tall (Jurjevic, L., X. Liang, M., et al., 2019). For this study, LiDAR was used to assess the number and height of trees on the campus of Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. A small area was selected to produce calculations reflecting the level of carbon sequestration for that area, demonstrating the capabilities of this method.
