Application of image processing and artificial intelligence techniques for the automatic dendrometry of native and commercial wood species

Tree-ring analysis is a cornerstone of dendrometry, providing essential information for dendrochronology, forest dynamics, and growth studies. Traditionally, ring marking is performed manually, a process that is time-consuming, subjective, and difficult to scale to large image datasets. Moreover, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Marichal, Henry (author)
Format: doctoralThesis
Language:English
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/52991
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Summary:Tree-ring analysis is a cornerstone of dendrometry, providing essential information for dendrochronology, forest dynamics, and growth studies. Traditionally, ring marking is performed manually, a process that is time-consuming, subjective, and difficult to scale to large image datasets. Moreover, annual growth measurements are often taken in a onedimensional manner, which complicates comparisons among samples. This thesis proposes the use of ring area as an alternative to ring width, since the latter is a one-dimensional measure that is difficult to standardize. Image-processing algorithms were developed to accurately delineate annual growth curves and calculate growth area in both trees and shrubs. A graphical interface was implemented to combine automatic detection with manual correction tools when needed. Annotated image databases for several species were also created, enabling systematic evaluation of the algorithms. Finally, a case study in ecology?climatology is presented, comparing ring width and ring area as climate indicators.