From the history of the development of photogrammetry and remote sensing at the Polish forestry

Abstract

Photogrammetry started to develop in Poland after World War I. Although relatively very important and big photogrammetric projects from this time are known, only few mentions are related to the use of photogrammetry for forestry purposes. On early 1945 the demand for the development of photogrammetric products – photomaps – reported six ministries, including the Ministry of Forestry. Forest applications of photogrammetry were developed by workers employed in Forest Research Institute – Gieruszyński (1948 ) and Stanecki (1951) published first books concerning the use of aerial photographs for measuring and determining the forest characteristics and estimation of wood volume. Aerial photographs found wide use in forestry from the second half of the 1950s, but after 1970 a decline of interest in the use of photogrammetry is to be noticed. The need for a broader use of photogrammetry in forestry pointed the authors of many studies appearing in the scientific literature. In the seventies, research related to the use of simple photogrammetry methods and tools to determine the selected characteristucs of forest stands. There was big interest in methods of determining the amount of trees within stands, their height, crowns closure, and species composition. The second half of the seventies is also the birth of the forest remote sensing. The real revolution in scientific research and applications of photogrammetry and remote sensing takes place from the beginning of the twenty-first century. Two circumstances are conducive to a growing use of photogrammetry and remote sensing in forestry – the emergence of laser scanning (LiDAR) technology and unmanned aerial vehicles. Also thematic scope of research will change – the focus will move from the issues concerning the inventory of stands to tracking dynamic processes of nature. Modern techniques of photogrammetry and remote sensing should also provide new data useful to detect and assess the significance of factors affecting the immunity of forest