It isn’t always easy to be up close and personal with a tree.
Close-range remote sensing (CRRS) technologies, from terrestrial laser scanners to drone-mounted sensors, are transforming how researchers observe and understand forests. These tools capture high-resolution, three-dimensional data on forest structure, enabling new insights into growth, biomass, and biodiversity. Yet despite rapid technological progress, the widespread adoption of CRRS in forestry has lagged behind. The challenge is moving from promising pilots to practical integration, where CRRS becomes part of everyday forest management and monitoring.
In their 2025 study published in the Journal of Forestry Research, Öztürk et al. conducted a global survey to identify the barriers, opportunities, and pathways for bringing CRRS from experimental trials into routine forest practice. Their findings reveal that the bottlenecks are as much human and institutional as they are technical, involving lack of training, collaboration, and accessibility of knowledge. Their study tells a story not only about technology but also about the people and networks shaping its future.
Close-range remote sensing encompasses technologies that operate within several hundred meters of the target, including LiDAR, photogrammetry, and hyperspectral imaging. These systems can be mounted on drones, tripods, or handheld devices, offering fine-scale observations that complement satellite and airborne data. The appeal of CRRS lies in its precision and flexibility. It can measure tree height, crown volume, and forest structure with centimeter-level accuracy and support assessments of biodiversity and forest health. Applications span precision forestry, ecology, and conservation, from mapping understory diversity to detecting tree diseases.
To uncover the reasons behind this gap, the authors designed a comprehensive online questionnaire, validated through expert review and pilot testing, and distributed through networks such as the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the 3DForEcoTech COST Action. A total of 152 professionals participated, primarily researchers and forest managers (92% users) with a smaller representation of developers and service providers (8%). Respondents came from across the world, but most were based in Europe, reflecting both the region’s leadership in UAV-LiDAR research and the need for more contributions from underrepresented regions such as Africa and Australia.
Most participants were highly qualified (80% held PhDs) and worked in universities or research institutes. The dominant application areas were precision forestry and biodiversity studies, while providers specialized in software development, training, and consulting. This balanced perspective, users seeking practical solutions and providers developing them, allowed the study to diagnose both sides of the adoption divide.
Across the survey, three barriers emerged most prominently: cost, complexity, and training. High initial costs were cited as the single greatest obstacle by over a quarter of all users and providers. While hardware prices are slowly falling, investment in high-quality scanners and computing infrastructure remains out of reach for many institutions, particularly smaller organizations and those in developing economies. Managing CRRS data, from acquisition to processing, is another major pain point. Users frequently described data processing as time-consuming and technically demanding, with 24% identifying processing time as a key bottleneck and 22% highlighting the complexity of software and tools. Providers echoed these frustrations, noting the difficulty of developing automated and user-friendly systems that can handle diverse forest environments.
A striking 75% of users reported receiving no formal training in CRRS technologies. Even among those with experience, many cited inadequate or outdated resources. Providers reported similar patterns, with over half lacking specialized training themselves. Respondents expressed a strong desire for interdisciplinary education combining remote sensing, data analysis, and forestry applications, ideally through hands-on workshops, online courses, and accessible documentation. Beyond these headline challenges, respondents also pointed to missing standards, insufficiently automated software, and a lack of clear protocols for data collection. Together, these issues form what the authors call a “usability gap”, a disconnect between technological capability and the practical tools that users need.
Despite the obstacles, respondents were optimistic about CRRS’s potential and offered constructive solutions for moving the field forward. Both users and providers emphasized the need for simpler, more intuitive software. Tools like LAStools, CloudCompare, QGIS, and CompuTree were cited as successful examples of platforms that combine functionality with ease of use. These programs demonstrate that accessible interfaces can lower technical barriers and speed up analysis.
Respondents called for structured, interdisciplinary training programs that combine technical skills with forestry context. They recommended regular workshops, webinars, and integration of CRRS topics into university curricula to build long-term capacity. The lack of standardized protocols for data acquisition and processing emerged as a critical limitation. The authors suggest developing harmonised guidelines adaptable to different sensor types (e.g., TLS, UAV-LS, handheld LiDAR), co-created by both users and providers. Open-access repositories of best practices, annotated case studies, and processing templates could make these standards widely available.
Scientific conferences such as SilviLaser, ForestSAT, and the IUFRO World Congress were highlighted as underused venues for collaboration. While these events already bring together global experts, they could play a larger role in facilitating dialogue between users and providers, helping align research priorities with operational needs. Finally, the authors argue that policy-level initiatives are essential. Funding from programs such as Horizon Europe, COST, and national innovation funds should prioritize CRRS research, training, and open-source development. Public–private partnerships can further encourage investment and ensure long-term sustainability.
Ultimately, the study concludes that implementing CRRS in forestry requires more than technical innovation, it demands a cultural shift. Success will depend on how well researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can work together to make these tools accessible, affordable, and meaningful in real-world settings. The message is clear: awareness alone is not enough. What’s needed now is coordinated action, to bridge the gap between users and providers, between research and practice, and between cutting-edge technology and everyday forestry. If these recommendations are realized, CRRS could move from experimental niche to essential infrastructure for the forests of the future.
Text is a summarization of a following paper:
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Text is authored by Henry Cerbone – Department of Biology – University of Oxford