Andreas Tockner is a researcher at the Institute of Forest Growth, part of the Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). He holds a Dipl.-Ing. and B.Sc. degree and is currently pursuing PhD studies since 2021 as part of the "Building Like Nature" program at BOKU University. His work focuses on applying advanced laser scanning technologies to forest resource management and inventory. Dr. Tockner's educational background includes a Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Ing.) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degrees. His PhD studies at BOKU University began in 2021 as part of the "Building Like Nature" program. He is actively developing expertise in software development for instance segmentation and feature extraction of 3D point clouds. His research interests center around forest resource management with a strong emphasis on ground-based laser scanning technologies, particularly mobile LiDAR systems. He specializes in software development for instance segmentation and feature extraction of 3D point clouds, which has significant applications in modern forest inventory and monitoring. His work bridges the gap between advanced geospatial technologies and practical forestry applications, enabling more precise and efficient forest management practices. He has developed expertise in analyzing forest structures through 3D point cloud data, with particular focus on tree species classification, forest regeneration monitoring, and timber measurement at individual log levels. Dr. Tockner's publication record reveals a clear progression toward increasingly sophisticated applications of laser scanning technology in forestry. His work has evolved from basic measurement techniques to complex analysis of forest ecosystems, including species identification, wood quality prediction, and even long-term forest projections using digital twin technology. His interdisciplinary approach combines forestry, computer science, and data analytics to solve practical challenges in forest management. Advancements in personal laser scanning for forest inventory Methods for tree species classification using intensity patterns Techniques for quantifying forest regeneration Digital twin applications for forest modeling and future projections Dr. Tockner has supervised two Master's theses in 2025: "Evaluierung boden-, luftgestützter und hybrider Methoden zur Forstinventur im Naturpark Sparbach" by Elias Kimmel and "Assessing the Potential of Personal Laser Scanning to Quantify Tropical Tree Structures" by Luca Stephan Seiler. His research is supported by multiple projects including "Lidar based forest monitoring and harvesting planning" (2023-2026) funded by Federal Ministries and "Forest Inventory with Personal Laserscanners" (2022-2025) funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). He is actively involved in developing practical applications of laser scanning technology for forest management, with a particular focus on making these technologies accessible for field operations. His work on using Apple iPad Pro with integrated LiDAR technology demonstrates his commitment to practical, field-deployable solutions that can transform traditional forest inventory practices.
