Forest Surveying with Robotics and AI: SLAM-Based Mapping, Terrain-Aware Navigation, and Tree Parameter Estimation

Abstract

Forest surveying and inspection face significant challenges due to unstructured environments, variable terrain conditions, and the high costs of manual data collection. Although mobile robotics and artificial intelligence offer promising solutions, reliable autonomous navigation in forest, terrain-aware path planning, and tree parameter estimation remain open challenges. In this paper, we present the results of the AI4FOREST project, which addresses these issues through three main contributions. First, we develop an autonomous mobile robot, integrating SLAM-based navigation, 3D point cloud reconstruction, and a vision-based deep learning architecture to enable tree detection and diameter estimation. This system demonstrates the feasibility of generating a digital twin of forest while operating autonomously. Second, to overcome the limitations of classical navigation approaches in heterogeneous natural terrains, we introduce a machine learning-based surrogate model of wheel–soil interaction, trained on a large synthetic dataset derived from classical terramechanics. Compared to purely geometric planners, the proposed model enables realistic dynamics simulation and improves navigation robustness by accounting for terrain–vehicle interactions. Finally, we investigate the impact of point cloud density on the accuracy of forest parameter estimation, identifying the minimum sampling requirements needed to extract tree diameters and heights. This analysis provides support to balance sensor performance, robot speed, and operational costs. Overall, the AI4FOREST project advances the state of the art in autonomous forest monitoring by jointly addressing SLAM-based mapping, terrain-aware navigation, and tree parameter estimation.

Plant phenotyping relevance

自律ロボット、3D点群、深層学習を用いて樹木の直径・高さを推定する手法を開発し、点群密度による推定精度も評価しており、植物形質取得が中心である。

Code and data availability

The paper's point-cloud-density/tree-parameter analysis (Section 2.3) is based on two open-source MLS forest point cloud datasets (Forest 1 from southern Finland, and Forest 2 openly accessible via the 3DFin platform), which are public, paper-specific phenotype/trait data assets. However, the supplied blocks do not包含 a