TreeTools Virtual Plot is powered by Interpine, providing foresters with quick and simple forest stocking inventories using their own drones, infield and offline. Find out more: Virtual Plot Product – TreeTools
We’re pleased to introduce a new capability within TreeTools Virtual Plot — our first radiata pine Regeneration Assessment Model, designed to provide scalable, data-driven insights into early-stage forest development, separating tree crop and regeneration stocking assessment for each TreeTools Virtual Plot. Available as an early alpha release, this AI model is now included in the latest TreeTools Virtual Plot update for testing and feedback.
A Smarter Way to Measure Regeneration
Accurately assessing forest regeneration has traditionally relied on intensive field surveys. While effective, these methods can be time-consuming, costly, and difficult to scale across large or remote areas.
Our new model changes this.
By leveraging high-resolution RGB imagery, the Regeneration Assessment Model enables efficient and consistent evaluation of young stands. It focuses on key indicators of early forest development, including:
- Canopy density
- Spatial distribution patterns
- Regeneration coverage across the site
These insights allow forest managers to quickly identify areas of successful establishment, as well as zones where regeneration may be insufficient, delayed, or uneven.
Operational Insight at Scale
Integrated within the TreeTools Virtual Plot environment, the model delivers repeatable and comparable outputs across entire stands—supporting informed decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.
This approach significantly reduces reliance on manual fieldwork while improving visibility across difficult-to-access terrain.
More importantly, it enables proactive management, helping teams identify where intervention may be required early in the rotation.
Current Model Outputs
The Regeneration Assessment Model, based on Treetools Virtual Plots currently provides:
- Assessment of early-stage stands (typically 2–5 years)
- Total stocking estimates, incorporating both planted trees and natural regeneration
- Visualisation of spatial distribution across the plot, and summary across the site.
- Create Regeneration density heatmaps to highlight understocked or problem areas
- Identification of zones requiring follow-up management or silvicultural intervention
This new capability represents another step forward in our mission to combine remote sensing, analytics, and practical forestry expertise into tools that deliver real value on the ground.
By turning imagery into actionable insight, the TreeTools Virtual Plot Regeneration Assessment Model helps forest managers:
- Improve establishment success rates
- Optimise resource allocation
- Reduce operational uncertainty
- Make faster, more confident decisions
Running the Regeneration Detection Model on Full Stand Ortho-Mosaics?
While this capability is not yet available directly within the TreeTools Virtual Plot software, we can apply the Regeneration Assessment Model at a full stand / population level using high-resolution ortho-mosaic imagery.
This approach enables a comprehensive view of regeneration performance across entire stands, providing deeper insight into how regeneration is tracking against the planted crop.
If you’re interested, our team can work with you to develop a stand-level regeneration assessment, delivering detailed outputs that support planning, reporting, and targeted intervention.