Estimating the volume of stacked wood using the dynamic conversion factor calculated by a lidar-based smartphone app

ABSTRACT In numerous countries, industrial roundwood is sold in stacks. The method for estimating roundwood stack volume differs by nation or even region. To estimate the value of roundwood, the solid volume needs to be calculated based on specific variables of the stack, i.e., length, height, or conversion factor. For decades, people have used tabular conversion factors to estimate solid wood volume, considering them as an admitted approximation. This study aimed to determine the dynamic conversion factor for 75 stacks based on an innovative LiDAR-based method and analyze its influence on the volume and value of measured wood. The findings of this study validate the use of LogStackLIDAR for the in-situ estimation of dynamic conversion factors, thereby enabling the calculation of net cubic meter volume in stacked wood. The biggest differences were found in the case of pulpwood ($\bar x$xˉ = 0.59; ±0.12), which is characterized as the lowest quality assortment. The utilization of dynamic conversion factors has demonstrably benefited pulpwood purchasers by reducing measured wood volume and value. However, in the case of assortments of better quality logwood ($\bar x$xˉ = 0.63; ±0.05), and industrial roundwood ($\bar x$xˉ = 0.63; ±0.07), the use of dynamic conversion factors has had a positive impact for sellers, as it has increased the total volume of wood measured.