4CAD PointLab · Forestry module

LiDAR forest inventory from point clouds

Upload a laser scan of a forest from a drone, terrestrial or handheld scanner. PointLab detects individual trees and measures the height, diameter at breast height (DBH), crown and approximate wood volume of each one. You get a tree list, volume per hectare and a stand map — in your browser, with no installation.

Free for everyone until 30 November 2026 — a trial period before the official launch.

Height, DBH, crown, volume
Volume m³/ha
Downed wood
Contour lines for CAD
Inventarizace lesa z mračna bodů – vrstvy porostu, kmeny a koruny stromů nad modelem terénu

Vegetation layers: terrain, low vegetation, understorey, stems and crowns. On the right, a stand summary with height, DBH and volume per hectare. Data: FOR-instance (CULS, Czech Republic), CC BY 4.0.

What a LiDAR tree inventory measures

The analysis is geometric and needs no prior training — for drone data as well as terrestrial scanners. Each tree gets its own number and colour.

Individual trees

Trees are detected from stems and crown tops, including suppressed trees under the canopy. The stem follows the tree axis, even for leaning and curved stems.

Height and DBH

The height of every tree and the diameter at breast height (DBH) from a circle fitted at 1.3 m. Each diameter shows its quality — accurate, approximate or not measured. Nothing is guessed.

Crown and wood volume

Crown diameter and crown base height, basal area and approximate tree volume. The tree list can be sorted and searched; a click zooms to the tree in the scene.

Volume per hectare

Trees per hectare, mean, top and maximum height, a DBH histogram in 5 cm classes, basal area in m²/ha and volume in m³/ha and in total. Plus canopy cover and terrain slope.

Downed wood

Fallen stems and large branches from 2 m in length and 8 cm in diameter — with length, diameter and volume, in the scene and on the map.

Vegetation layers

Terrain, low vegetation up to 0.5 m, understorey 0.5–3 m, stems, crowns and downed wood. Buildings and cars among the trees go into a separate class and don't distort the result.

Stand map and terrain contours

A scan with RTK positioning is placed on the map over the ČÚZK orthophoto — with crowns, tree numbers and downed wood. Works with S-JTSK as well as coordinates in degrees; a mirrored RTK export can be fixed directly on the map. See all your company's forests on one stand map.

Contour lines at intervals from 0.25 to 10 m or a custom interval, every fifth one an index contour with elevation. Download them as DXF for CAD or GeoJSON for GIS.

Forest inventory exports

CSV of trees and downed wood with coordinates and GPS, GPX for navigating to trees in the field, GeoJSON for GIS, LAZ with classes and tree number, E57 and DXF contour lines.

Vrstevnice terénu v lese a seznam stromů s výškou, výčetní tloušťkou a korunou

Terrain contour lines and a tree list with height, DBH and crown. Data: FOR-instance (TU Wien, Austria), CC BY 4.0.

Accuracy verified on public data

These figures are test results on publicly available reference plots with hand-labelled ground truth, not estimates. On your data, they vary with the scan type and point density.

77–100%

of trees detected on six reference plots, depending on stand type

92–98%

crown agreement with a hand-labelled reference (IoU)

3–16 cm

terrain model accuracy (RMSE)

5.0 cm

DBH deviation (RMSE, 18 trees, CULS plot)

FOR-instance dataset — six drone laser scanning plots (Czech Republic, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Austria). Terrestrial and mobile scans give the most accurate diameters.

Forest inventory FAQ

What scanner do I need for a forest inventory?

All you need is a point cloud in LAS, LAZ, E57 or PLY format from a drone, terrestrial, mobile or handheld scanner, with files up to 20 GB. Terrestrial and mobile scans give the most accurate stem diameters.

How accurate is the DBH?

On the CULS reference plot, the deviation was 5.0 cm (RMSE, 18 trees). Every diameter comes with its quality — accurate, approximate or not measured — so you know which figures to trust.

What if the app doesn't detect a tree correctly?

Remove a wrongly detected tree with the eraser in one click; the correction also applies to later analyses and can be undone. The system learns from manual labels and finds them on its own next time. Optionally, disputed trees can be checked by an AI vision model operated in the EU.

Does it work for urban tree inventories too?

Yes, the module also measures trees in parks and avenues. For a whole street with lights, signs and street furniture, use the Corridors and mapping module.

Is the result an official survey document?

The results are technical data for forest and tree inventories. They are not an official output of surveying activities under Czech Act No. 200/1994 Coll.

Where is the data processed?

Data and processing run in the cloud in the EU (Scaleway, Warsaw). Only your company can see your projects and results.

More PointLab modules in every plan

Corridors and mapping

Power line protection zones, railway clearance gauges, road slopes and road asset inventory.

Corridors and mapping →

Buildings and interiors

Building point cloud classification for scan to BIM, machine layouts and IFC models.

Buildings and interiors →

Drone photogrammetry

Textured 3D model, orthophoto and DSM from drone photos with an accuracy report.

Drone photogrammetry →

PointLab overview

All four modules, storage-based plans and verified accuracy in one place.

4CAD PointLab →

No scanner? We'll scan it for you

We offer 3D scanning services in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria and Germany. We come on site, capture the data you need and use PointLab to prepare the output you need — a classified point cloud, a floor plan, a forest inventory, a power line inventory or a drone model. No need to buy a scanner or software.

Czech Republic

Nationwide, full service including the output.

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Slovakia

All of Slovakia, communication in Slovak or Czech.

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Poland

Projects in Poland, communication in English or German.

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Austria

Projects in Austria, communication in German or English.

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Germany

Projects in Germany, communication in German or English.

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Tell us the location, scope and output you need — we'll get back to you within 24–48 hours. More about the service on our Forest scanning services page.

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Pricing: you pay for data volume, not features

PointLab is free for all users until 30 November 2026 — a trial period before the official launch. The plans below apply from 1 December 2026.

All plans include all four modules. The plan sets the storage for uploaded data and the number of users; additional users can be purchased.

Trial
2 GB
1 user
Start
10 GB
1 user
Profi
50 GB
3 users
Business
250 GB
10 users
Enterprise
1,000 GB
50 users

Pricing based on your data volume

As a guide: 1 GB of LAZ corresponds to roughly 25–40 million points, a 20-minute handheld scan takes 0.5–1.5 GB and a drone scan of one hectare of forest 0.2–0.5 GB. Tell us what data you work with and we'll prepare a quote.

Try PointLab on your own data

Create your account and upload your own point cloud or drone photos. Want to go through the results with us? Book a demo.

Lukáš Tisoň · 3D scanner sales · +420 735 084 982 · lukas.tison@4-cad.cz

Don't have your own scanner? We'll scan it for you — Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Germany