I am looking for a forestry management software that uses lidar for timber estimation.

Several advanced software platforms specialize in processing LiDAR data for precise timber estimation , forest inventory, and 3D biomass modeling.

Top Forestry Software Options for LiDAR Timber Estimation

• LiDAR360 (by GreenValley International) : An industry standard for point-cloud processing with dedicated Airborne (ALS) and Terrestrial (TLS) Forestry modules. It allows automated single-tree segmentation, canopy height models, diameter at breast height (DBH) extraction, and timber volume/biomass calculations.
• T我們先 / 3D Forest / Computree : An open-source platform widely used by researchers and professional foresters to process LiDAR point clouds for individual tree detection, dendrometric parameters, and timber assessment.
• Lastools : A high-performance software suite with specialized tools (lasground, lascanopy ) used extensively in forestry to derive forest metrics, canopy height models, and biomass/timber volume estimates over large geographical areas.
• Simulations/Enterprise GIS (ArcGIS Pro / QGIS with lidR package) : Many enterprise foresters use ArcGIS Pro (with the Image Analyst / 3D Analyst extensions) or R’s lidR package combined with QGIS to build area-based and individual-tree-based timber inventory models tailored to regional allometric equations.

Would you like to know more about whether you need airborne (drone/plane) or terrestrial (ground-based) LiDAR processing, or do you need help choosing between open-source vs. commercial software?

Yes. There are several good options, but they fall into two categories: true forestry management systems that ingest LiDAR-derived inventory, and LiDAR platforms that actually perform the timber estimation.

Best options to investigate

My first three choices

1. Remsoft AFRIDS — best if you want a complete forestry decision-support system. AFRIDS is specifically designed around LiDAR forest inventories and can estimate volume and basal area over planned harvest areas, disturbances, or custom polygons. It also provides mapping, reporting, cost planning and route optimization.

2. Clear Timber Analytics — best if the important part is accurate tree-level timber estimation. Its LiDAR/deep-learning workflow identifies individual trees and calculates DBH, height, canopy size and volume, creating a tree-level inventory that can feed GIS and management systems.

3. AFRY TreeMaps — particularly interesting if you're using drone LiDAR. It processes drone surveys using cameras or LiDAR and produces tree-level GIS maps plus aggregated stand/grid results through a cloud SaaS workflow.

One important distinction

If by "timber estimation" you mean "I upload a LiDAR point cloud and it tells me how many tons/MBF/m³ of merchantable timber I have", I would narrow the search considerably.

Some products primarily extract tree height, crowns, canopy height and biomass, while others actually model DBH → stem volume → merchantable volume/product classes. For example, Forestum.ai explicitly reports timber volume, DBH, height and species, while Open Range Consulting describes LiDAR-derived crown delineation combined with field-trained models to estimate individual-tree diameter and volume.

If you're in the U.S. and managing timberland, I can also narrow this down to 5–7 products that are appropriate for a private timberland owner/forester, including approximate pricing, whether they accept LAS/LAZ files, whether they estimate MBF/tons, and whether they support harvest planning and GIS.

When looking for forestry management and point-cloud processing software that handles LiDAR for timber estimation, volume modeling, and inventory metrics, there are a few industry-leading software packages designed specifically for this workflow.

The top options vary depending on whether you want an end-to-end point cloud analysis tool or an enterprise forestry GIS platform:

• LiDAR360 Forestry (GreenValley International)
  • Overview: One of the most popular and dedicated software modules specifically built for processing forest LiDAR. It supports aerial (ALS), UAV/drone, and terrestrial (TLS) LiDAR datasets.
  • Timber & Inventory Capabilities: Features automated Individual Tree Segmentation (ITS), automatic DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) estimation via trunk cylinder fitting, and robust stand-level statistical modeling. It can generate over 90 stand metrics including biomass, canopy volume, and timber volume modeling.
  • Check it out: Learn more about the platform features through Greenvalley LiDAR360.
• LP360 / LP360 Drone (GeoCue)
  • Overview: A powerhouse professional geospatial and LiDAR point cloud processing software that includes advanced AI-driven forestry classification and analysis tools.
  • Timber & Inventory Capabilities: Excellent for drone-collected and aerial LiDAR data. It handles large-area point cloud classifications, canopy height modeling (CHM), and extraction of metrics like tree height, crown diameter, and density which feed directly into timber volume and inventory calculations.
  • Check it out: Explore specs and capabilities at GeoCue LP360.
• FJD Trion Model (Forestry Module)
  • Overview: A specialized point cloud processing ecosystem that offers a dedicated forestry module designed to work smoothly with mobile, handheld, or UAV LiDAR hardware.
  • Timber & Inventory Capabilities: Automates tree detection, segmentation, height measurement, and volume/biomass estimation reporting, making it a solid choice if you are pairing your software with specific mobile/drone scan hardware.
  • Check it out: View product details on the FJDynamics Trion Model.
• Enterprise Forestry GIS Alternatives (SilvaCortex / Remsoft / Esri ArcGIS with custom LiDAR workflows)
  • Overview: If you need broader operational forestry management (land ownership, harvest scheduling, logistics) alongside LiDAR, many enterprise foresters use traditional platforms like Esri ArcGIS Pro ( utilizing the Forest-Based Prediction and Regression toolset for LiDAR-driven volume extrapolation) or specialized regional inventory providers rather than standalone point-cloud processors.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• Are you processing aerial/drone LiDAR (ALS) or ground/terrestrial scans (TLS)?
• Do you need software just for the point cloud analysis and volume estimation , or an enterprise system that also tracks harvest scheduling and logistics?

If you are looking for forestry management software that uses LiDAR for timber estimation, you have several options depending on whether you need stand-level inventory, individual tree measurements, harvest planning, or a complete forest management system.

LiDAR-focused timber inventory and estimation platforms

• Remsoft — AFRIDS

• Designed specifically around LiDAR forest inventories.

• Provides web-based mapping, analysis, and reporting for LiDAR-derived inventories.

• Can estimate forest metrics such as volume and basal area and supports harvest planning workflows.

• Arbonaut — Forest Inventories

• Uses LiDAR and remote sensing to produce forest inventory products from stand-level estimates to individual tree/crown-level information.

• Suitable for large timber estates and operational inventories.

• Tesera Systems — High Resolution Inventory Solutions (HRIS)

• Combines LiDAR, imagery, and field plots to create enhanced forest inventories.

• Useful for estimating productivity, inventory attributes, and growth/yield information.

• Clear Timber Analytics — Forest Insights

• Uses high-resolution LiDAR analytics and machine learning.

• Provides tree-level outputs such as tree location, height, crown metrics, DBH estimates, and growing-stock analysis.

• FlyPix AI — Forest Management Software

• Processes aerial, drone, and LiDAR imagery.

• Focuses on AI-based stand mapping, yield estimation, and exporting GIS-ready layers.

• Lidarvisor

• A LiDAR processing platform that extracts tree crowns, heights, terrain models, and inventory reports.

• Useful if you already have LAS/LAZ point clouds and want automated forestry metrics.

Full forest management systems (with LiDAR integration)

• Trimble Forestry solutions

• Better suited for larger forestry operations needing inventory, procurement, logistics, and operational management.

• Its forestry systems can integrate with broader forest data workflows, though LiDAR timber estimation may come through connected inventory solutions rather than being the core feature.

• Remsoft Forest Management System (FMS)

• Covers the full lifecycle: inventory, planning, harvesting, field operations, and compliance.

• AFRIDS is the LiDAR-specific component.

If your main goal is timber volume estimation, I would shortlist:

For a more precise recommendation, the key questions are:

1. Are you managing private woodland (hundreds of acres) or industrial timberland (thousands+ acres)?
2. Do you already have LiDAR data (LAS/LAZ files), or do you need a provider to collect it?
3. Do you need merchantable timber volume/value estimates (e.g., board feet, tons, revenue) or just forest inventory metrics?

Yes. I found several options, but there’s an important distinction: some forestry software uses LiDAR directly to estimate timber, while others are conventional timber-cruising systems that can work alongside GIS/LiDAR data.

Best matches for LiDAR-based timber estimation

1. AFRIDS by Remsoft — probably the closest match

   • Web-based forest inventory and decision-support software built on Esri ArcGIS.
   • Uses LiDAR forest inventories, remote sensing, forest biometrics, and AI for wall-to-wall inventory predictions.
   • Specifically estimates volume and basal area over planned harvest areas or custom polygons.
   • Designed for forest-wide inventory rather than simply recording field cruise plots.

2. ForestHQ / TreeMetrics — excellent for high-value timber

   • Designed to work with terrestrial LiDAR, creating a 3D profile of individual stems.
   • Uses those stem profiles for timber product assortment and volume estimation, including defects and stem sweep.
   • Also has a virtual harvest simulator for determining optimal products from individual stems.
   • This looks particularly interesting if you're interested in mill-quality timber valuation/product optimization, rather than just estimating standing volume.

3. Tesera HRIS

   • Combines LiDAR, hyperspectral/multispectral imagery, field plots, terrain data and machine learning.
   • Provides enhanced forest inventory and individual-tree inventory capabilities.
   • Intended for scalable forest management, including inventory updates and growth/yield forecasting.

4. Open Range Consulting Forest Inventory System

   • Uses LiDAR-derived crown delineation plus regression models trained from field measurements.
   • Produces individual-tree estimates of diameter and volume across large areas.
   • Explicitly supports timber and biomass estimation.
   • Particularly interesting for western forests and large, difficult-to-access landscapes.

5. Clear Timber Analytics

   • Provides tree-level forest inventory using high-resolution LiDAR and remote sensing.
   • Focuses on growing-stock analysis, forest health, terrain mapping and forest management.

If you already have LiDAR and want to build your own system

The USDA Forest Service FUSION/LDV software is worth knowing about. It's free and specifically designed for LiDAR processing, including deriving point-cloud/surface metrics and developing forest inventory models. It's widely used by the Forest Service, universities and private industry.

My shortlist

If your goal is something like: “I have airborne/drone LiDAR over 5,000 acres, and I want software to identify trees, estimate DBH/height/volume, produce a stand inventory, and calculate MBF by species/product,” then I'd narrow the field considerably.

If you tell me what kind of LiDAR you have (airborne, drone, or terrestrial), approximate acreage, forest type/species, and whether you need MBF/board-foot timber estimates, I can research the best 5–10 commercial systems and compare pricing, accuracy, inputs, outputs, and whether they can actually estimate merchantable timber rather than just canopy metrics.

LiDAR360 by GreenValley International and FJD Trion Model Forestry Module are among the top specialized forestry management software options utilizing LiDAR for automatic timber estimation and single-tree segmentation. These programs process raw 3D point cloud data from drone (ALS) or terrestrial (TLS) scans to isolate individual trees, measure metrics like tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH), and directly calculate usable timber volume.

The best forestry software platforms featuring LiDAR-based timber metrics include:

Specialized Forestry Analytics Software

• GreenValley International LiDAR360 (Forestry Module) : Highly regarded for individual tree segmentation and forest inventory metrics. Its dedicated TLS and ALS Forest toolboxes automate DBH extraction within 3 mm errors, map canopy height models (CHM), and compute single-stem timber volume or general carbon stock calculations.
• FJD Trion Model Forestry Module : Designed strictly for converting raw LiDAR scans into actionable forestry intelligence. It provides batch processing to compute location, distribution, tree height, crown width, and overall volume data for high-efficiency reporting.
• GeoCue LP360 (Auto AI Forestry) : This software blends heavy-duty point cloud processing with AI classification. The specialized forestry extension utilizes machine learning models to identify tree tops, handle dense multi-layer canopies, and derive structural timber data.

Enterprise Cloud & GIS Platforms

• Remsoft AFRIDS : A cloud- and web-based decision support tool built on the Esri ArcGIS framework. It handles large-scale LiDAR forest inventories to provide advanced mapping and business reporting, letting you analyze timber assets without requiring deep in-house GIS expertise.
• Flai Forestry : A web platform leveraging AI to parse airborne LiDAR point clouds. It excels at extracting vector outputs—such as trunk tracking, tree top detection, and fitted 3D lines—enabling rapid digital inventory and biomass tracking over vast geographic areas.

Open-Source & Mobile Utilities

• USDA Forest Service FUSION / LDV : A comprehensive, free command-line and visualization tool suite widely used in academia and government. It acts as a processing engine to extract complex point-cloud and surface metrics for macro-level forest inventory modeling.
• ForestScanner Mobile App : A free mobile solution optimized for real-time, on-site field assessment. Using the built-in LiDAR sensors on modern iPads or iPhones, it automatically conducts instance segmentation and circle-fitting to measure stem diameter and log spatial coordinates as you walk the plot.

To narrow down the options, please share:

• Are you capturing data via airborne drones (ALS), terrestrial tripods (TLS) , or handheld/mobile scanners?
• What is the approximate acreage or scale of the timberlands you manage?
• Do you need a standalone desktop program for raw point cloud editing , or a web-based GIS dashboard for broad analysis?

Yes. There are several forestry platforms now using LiDAR + AI/remote sensing for timber inventory and volume estimation. The best choice depends on whether you want (1) LiDAR analysis, (2) full forest-management software, or (3) both.

Strong options to investigate

My first recommendation would be Remsoft AFRIDS if you're looking for a professional forestry-management platform rather than just a LiDAR-processing program. AFRIDS is specifically designed around LiDAR forest inventories and can estimate metrics such as forest volume and basal area for harvest areas, with mapping, analysis and reporting built in.

If your priority is individual tree measurement, Forestum.ai is particularly interesting: it produces tree-level timber volume, location, species, height and DBH from drone imagery, optionally combined with ground-based LiDAR.

For a more traditional forest management + GIS + timber sales workflow, Canopy Forester is also worth looking at; it combines GIS, stand management and timber sales and supports LiDAR layers.

One important distinction

If by "LiDAR" you mean airborne/drone LiDAR, I'd focus on AFRIDS, Clear Timber Analytics, Forestum.ai, and FlyPix.

If you mean terrestrial/mobile LiDAR where you walk/drive through a stand and want very accurate individual-stem volume and log-product estimates, ForestHQ is especially compelling. It can create 3D stem profiles from terrestrial LiDAR and use them to estimate timber volume and assortments.

If you tell me what kind of forestry operation you have (e.g. consulting forester, timberland owner, logging company, sawmill, government forest) and whether your LiDAR is drone, aircraft, or handheld/terrestrial, I can narrow this down to the 3 best systems, including approximate pricing and which ones can actually calculate merchantable timber volume/value.

Yes. There are several good options, but the best one depends on whether you mean airborne/drone LiDAR for estimating standing timber or iPhone/iPad LiDAR for field cruising.

Best options I found

My first choice for a serious timber-management operation would be AFRIDS. It is specifically designed around LiDAR forest inventories and can produce forest-wide predictions and estimates of volume and basal area for a proposed harvest or other area.

Lidarvisor is particularly interesting if you already have LAS/LAZ point clouds from an aircraft or drone. It automatically extracts tree tops and crowns and produces tree-level height/crown information, with outputs that can be fed into forest-management/GIS workflows. It explicitly lists timber volume estimation as a forestry use case.

If you're talking about walking through the woods with an iPhone/iPad, I'd look very closely at Arboreal Forest. It uses the device's LiDAR/AR capabilities to measure tree diameter, basal area, trees per hectare, stand volume, height and species.

One important caveat

LiDAR can estimate forest structure extremely well, but LiDAR alone doesn't necessarily tell you the actual merchantable timber volume or dollar value. For a defensible timber cruise, the LiDAR-derived measurements generally need to be calibrated/validated against ground plots and local volume equations. Research has demonstrated that airborne LiDAR can be used effectively for timber-volume estimation, but the modeling approach and local inventory data matter.

If you're looking at this for North Carolina timberland, I can narrow this down to the 3–5 best programs for Southern pine/hardwood management, including pricing, whether they accept NC/USGS LiDAR, acreage limits, and whether they estimate board feet/tons by species and stand.

Several software solutions specialize in processing LiDAR point clouds for timber estimation, forest inventory, and individual tree metrics . Depending on whether you are working with airborne (ALS) or terrestrial/mobile (TLS) LiDAR, the leading platforms include:

• LiDAR360 (GreenValley International) : Widely used in forestry for processing both airborne and terrestrial LiDAR. It includes specialized forestry modules that handle ground point classification, smart tree segmentation, canopy height model (CHM) generation, and individual tree parameter extraction (such as tree height, crown diameter, and volume/biomass estimation).
• LP360 (GeoCue) : Features dedicated automated AI-based forestry classification and point cloud processing tools. It is heavily utilized for drone and aerial LiDAR data to extract inventory metrics and generate digital forest models.
• Global Mapper Pro (Blue Marble Geographics) : Features an advanced Automatic Point Cloud Analysis tool specifically capable of classifying vegetation points, generating DTMs and CHMs, and executing workflows to detect individual trees, calculate stand counts, and extract heights and locations from aerial LiDAR.
• Flai : An AI-driven point cloud processing platform that automatically extracts vector products from LiDAR data, including tree tops, canopy segmentation, and trunk parameters like diameter at breast height (DBH) to support timber inventories and volume modeling.
• Lidarvisor : A web-based and AI-powered platform tailored for forestry that ingests point clouds to deliver individual tree metrics, crown polygons, and comprehensive digital forest inventory reports including height and biomass estimates.
• Remsoft AFRIDS : A web-based decision support tool built on Esri ArcGIS that is explicitly designed for large-scale LiDAR forest inventory analysis, mapping, and timber supply assessment.

To help narrow down the best fit, could you tell me:

• Are you planning to use airborne/drone LiDAR or terrestrial/handheld (mobile SLAM) LiDAR?
• Do you prefer a desktop GIS/point cloud suite or a cloud-based/automated web platform?

When looking for software that uses LiDAR for timber estimation, you generally have to look at two categories of tools: dedicated LiDAR point-cloud processing software with robust forestry modules (which extract the actual biometrics like tree height, DBH, and stem volume) and enterprise forestry/GIS platforms that ingest those derived metrics for long-term inventory management and harvest planning.

Top software solutions and toolsets capable of handling LiDAR-driven timber and biomass estimation include:

• LiDAR360 (GreenValley International) : Widely considered an industry standard for point-cloud forestry analysis. Its dedicated Forestry Module features automated ground point classification, individual tree segmentation (ITS), and rich parameter extraction (height, crown dimensions, DBH, and individual trunk/stand volume). It supports both aerial (ALS) and terrestrial/mobile (TLS) laser scanning data.
• LP360 (GeoCue) : A professional-grade LiDAR and drone point-cloud processing software that includes specialized tools and AI-based classification workflows tailored for forestry and vegetation management. It excels at managing large-scale aerial datasets to create canopy height models (CHMs) used in area-based timber volume estimations.
• Remsoft (Prism / Woodstock) : If you are looking for enterprise-level forest management and optimization rather than raw point-cloud editing, Remsoft incorporates advanced data analysis (like their Prism inventory module) and operational planning. They integrate remote sensing/LiDAR-derived inventory metrics to run strategic harvest scheduling, wood flow, and sustainability modeling.
• 3DFin : A specialized, open-access/open-source software tool (available as a standalone or as a plugin for QGIS and CloudCompare ) designed explicitly for automated 3D forest inventories using ground, mobile, or UAV LiDAR to compute DBH, tree height, and volume.
• R (lidR / rLiDAR packages) + GIS : Many professional foresters process raw LiDAR data by writing or utilizing established scripts in R (using packages like lidR ) coupled with QGIS or ArcGIS Pro (via its Geostatistical Analyst or Image Analyst toolsets) to build area-based regression models connecting LiDAR metrics to ground-truth timber cruise plots.

To help narrow down the best fit, could you tell me:

• Are you planning to process aerial/drone LiDAR (area-based stand estimates) or terrestrial/mobile LiDAR (individual tree-level stem measurements)?
• Do you already have an enterprise GIS/forestry database (like Esri or a specialized ERP) that the software needs to plug into?