Professor Ruben Valbuena
Honorary Professor

Affiliations
Contact info
Room: G19, Thoday Building, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University
Email: r.valbuena@bangor.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1248 38 2445
Web: GoogleScholar, ResearchGate, Publons
My work consists in the use of big data to answer ecological questions at the ecosystem community and landscape levels. I use remote sensing data, LIDAR in particular, due to its great potential for analysing structural and morphological traits of ecosystems, and thus estimate carbon stocks, ecosystem services, or habitat suitability for species. During the last seven years, I have pioneer adaptations of methods based on Lorenz curves to forest science and remote sensing; work awarded with the International Union of Forest Researchers (IUFRO) 2019’s Outstanding Doctoral Research Award.
Optimizing the remote detection of tropical rainforest structure with airborne lidar: Leaf area profile sensitivity to pulse density and spatial sampling
de Almeida, D. R. A., Stark, S. C., Shao, G., Schietti, J., Nelson, B. W., Silva, C. A., Gorgens, E. B., Valbuena, R., Papa, D. D. A. & Brancalion, P. H. S., 7 Jan 2019, In: Remote Sensing. 11, 1, 92.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A new era in forest restoration monitoring
de Almeida, D. R. A., Stark, S. C., Valbuena, R., Broadbent, E. N., Silva, T. S. F., de Resende, A. F., Ferreira, M. P., Cardil, A., Silva, C. A., Amazonas, N., Zambrano, A. M. A. & Brancalion, P. H. S., 30 Jan 2020, In: Restoration Ecology. 28, 1, p. 8-11 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Impacts of selective logging on Amazon forest canopy structure and biomass with a LiDAR and photogrammetric survey sequence
d'Oliveira, M. V. N., Figueiredo, E. O., Almeida, D. R. A. D., Oliveira, L. C., Silva, C. A., Nelson, B. W., Cunha, R. M. D., Papa, D. D. A., Stark, S. C. & Valbuena, R., 15 Nov 2021, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 500, 119648.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Tighten the Bolts and Nuts on GPP Estimations from Sites to the Globe: An Assessment of Remote Sensing Based LUE Models and Supporting Data Fields
Wang, Z., Liu, S., Wang, Y.-P., Valbuena, R., Wu, Y., Kutia, M., Zheng, Y., Lu, W., Zhu, Y., Zhao, M., Peng, X., Gao, H., Feng, S. & Shi, Y., 6 Jan 2021, In: Remote Sensing. 13, 2, 168.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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How to integrate remotely sensed data and biodiversity for ecosystem assessments at landscape scale
Vihervaara, P., Mononen, L., Auvinen, A.-P., Virkkala, R., Lu, Y., Pippuri, I., Packalen, P., Valbuena, R. & Valkama, J., Mar 2015, In: Landscape Ecology. 30, 3, p. 501-516Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Mapping wood production in European forests
Verkerk, P. J., Levers, C., Kuemmerle, T., Lindner, M., Valbuena, R., Verburg, P. H. & Zudin, S., 1 Dec 2015, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 357, p. 228-238Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Comparison of airborne laser scanning methods for estimating forest structure indicators based on Lorenz curves
Valbuena, R., Vauhkonen, J., Packalen, P., Pitkanen, J. & Maltamo, M., Sept 2014, In: ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. 95, p. 23-33Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Within-species benefits of back-projecting airborne laser scanner and multispectral sensors in monospecific pinus sylvestris forests
Valbuena, R., De-Blas, A., Martín-Fernández, S., Maltamo, M., Nabuurs, G.-J. & Manzanera, J. A., 2013, In: European Journal of Remote Sensing. 46, 1, p. 491-509 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Gini coefficient predictions from airborne lidar remote sensing display the effect of management intensity on forest structure
Valbuena, R., Eerikäinen, K., Packalen, P. & Maltamo, M., Jan 2016, In: Ecological Indicators. 60, p. 574-585 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Sensitivity of Above-Ground Biomass Estimates to Height-Diameter Modelling in Mixed-Species West African Woodlands
Valbuena, R., Heiskanen, J., Aynekulu, E., Pitkänen, S. & Packalen, P., 1 Jul 2016, In: PLoS ONE. 11, 7, p. e0158198Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Classification of multilayered forest development classes from low-density national airborne lidar datasets
Valbuena, R., Maltamo, M. & Packalen, P., Aug 2016, In: Forestry. 89, 4, p. 392-401 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Key structural features of Boreal forests may be detected directly using L-moments from airborne lidar data
Valbuena, R., Maltamo, M., Mehtatalo, L. & Packalen, P., 1 Jun 2017, In: Remote Sensing of Environment. 194, p. 437-446Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Characterizing forest structural types and shelterwood dynamics from Lorenz-based indicators predicted by airborne laser scanning
Valbuena, R., Packalen, P., Mehtätalo, L., García-Abril, A. & Maltamo, M., 2013, In: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 43, 11, p. 1063-1074 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Most similar neighbor imputation of forest attributes using metrics derived from combined airborne LIDAR and multispectral sensors
Valbuena, R., Hernando, A., Manzanera, J. A., Martínez-Falero, E., García-Abril, A. & Mola-Yudego, B., 2018, In: International Journal of Digital Earth. 11, 12, p. 1205-1218 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Canonical correlation analysis for interpreting airborne laser scanning metrics along the lorenz curve of tree size inequality
Valbuena, R., Packalen, P., Tokola, T. & Maltamo, M., 2014, In: Baltic Forestry. 20, 2, p. 326-332 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Diversity and equitability ordering profiles applied to study forest structure
Valbuena, R., Packalén, P., Martín-Fernández, S. & Maltamo, M., 2012, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 276, p. 185-195 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Comparing airborne laser scanning-imagery fusion methods based on geometric accuracy in forested areas
Valbuena, R., Mauro, F., Arjonilla, F. J. & Manzanera, J. A., 15 Aug 2011, In: Remote Sensing of Environment. 115, 8, p. 1942-1954 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Partial least squares for discriminating variance components in global navigation satellite systems accuracy obtained under scots pine canopies
Valbuena, R., Mauro, F., Rodríguez-Solano, R. & Manzanera, J. A., 2012, In: Forest Science. 58, 2, p. 139-153 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Patterns of covariance between airborne laser scanning metrics and Lorenz curve descriptors of tree size inequality
Valbuena, R., Maltamo, M., Martín-Fernández, S., Packalen, P., Pascual, C. & Nabuurs, G.-J., 2013, In: Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 39, Suppl.1, p. S18-S31Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Evaluating observed versus predicted forest biomass: R-squared, index of agreement or maximal information coefficient?
Valbuena, R., Hernando, A., Manzanera, J. A., Gorgens, E. B., Alves de Almeida, D. R., Silva, C. A. & Garcia-Abril, A., 31 May 2019, In: European Journal of Remote Sensing. 52, 1, p. 345-358 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Standardizing Ecosystem Morphological Traits from 3D Information Sources
Valbuena, R., O'Connor, B., Zellweger, F., Simonson, W., Vihervaara, P., Maltamo, M., Silva, C. A., Almeida, D. R. A., Danks, F., Morsdorf, F., Chirici, G., Lucas, R., Coomes, D. A. & Coops, N. C., 1 Aug 2020, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 35, 8, p. 656-667Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Classification of forest development stages from national low-density lidar datasets: A comparison of machine learning methods [Clasificación de etapas de desarrollo forestal a partir de datos de vuelos lidar nacionales de baja densidad: Comparación de métodos de aprendizaje automático]
Valbuena, R., Maltamo, M. & Packalen, P., 1 Feb 2016, In: Revista de Teledeteccion. 45, Special Issue, p. 15-25 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Enhancing of accuracy assessment for forest above-ground biomass estimates obtained from remote sensing via hypothesis testing and overfitting evaluation
Valbuena, R., Hernando, A., Manzanera, J. A., Gorgens, E. B., Almeida, D. R. A., Mauro, F., Garcia-Abril, A. & Coomes, D. A., 24 Dec 2017, In: Ecological Modelling. 366, p. 15-26Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Accuracy and precision of GPS receivers under forest canopies in a mountainous environment [Exactitud y precisiońn de receptores GPS bajo cubiertas forestales en ambientes montañosos]
Valbuena, R., Mauro, F., Rodriguez-Solano, R. & Manzanera, J. A., 2010, In: Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research. 8, 4, p. 1047-1057 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
A Conceptual Model for Detecting Small-Scale Forest Disturbances Based on Ecosystem Morphological Traits
Stoddart, J., Almeida, D., Silva, C. A., Gorgens, E. B., Keller, M. & Valbuena, R., 15 Feb 2022, In: Remote Sensing. 14, 4Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Continuous Cover Forestry and Remote Sensing : A Review of Knowledge Gaps, Challenges, and Potential Directions
Stoddart, J., Suarez, J., Mason, W. & Valbuena, R., Dec 2023, In: Current Forestry Reports. 9, 6, p. 490-501 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Vascular optimality dictates plant morphology away from Leonardo’s rule
Sopp, S. & Valbuena, R., Sept 2023, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: PNAS. 120, 39, e2215047120.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Simulation of overflow thresholds in urban basins: Case study in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico
Silva Cervantes, M., Hernando, A., García-Abril, A., Valbuena, R., Velázquez Saornil, J. & Manzanera, J. A., 1 Sept 2020, In: River Research and Applications. 36, 7, p. 1307-1320 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Combined Impact of Sample Size and Modeling Approaches for Predicting Stem Volume in Eucalyptus spp. Forest Plantations Using Field and LiDAR Data
Silva, V. S. D., Silva, C. A., Mohan, M., Cardil, A., Rex, F. E., Loureiro, G. H., Almeida, D. R. A. D., Broadbent, E. N., Gorgens, E. B., Dalla Corte, A. P., Silva, E. A., Valbuena, R. & Klauberg, C., 1 May 2020, In: Remote Sensing. 12, 9Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
ForestGapR: An r Package for forest gap analysis from canopy height models
Silva, C. A., Valbuena, R., Pinage, E. R., Mohan, M., Alves de Almeida, D. R., Broadbent, E. N., Jaafar, W. S. W. M., de Almeida Papa, D., Cardil, A. & Klauberg, C., 31 Aug 2019, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 10, 8, p. 1347-1356Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The Forest Observation System, building a global reference dataset for remote sensing of forest biomass
Schepaschenko, D., Chave, J., Phillips, O. L., Lewis, S. L., Davies, S. J., Rejou-Mechain, M., Sist, P., Scipal, K., Perger, C., Herault, B., Labriere, N., Hofhansl, F., Affum-Baffoe, K., Aleinikov, A., Alonso, A., Amani, C., Araujo-Murakami, A., Armston, J., Arroyo, L., Ascarrunz, N., Azevedo, C., Baker, T., Balazy, R., Bedeau, C., Berry, N., Bilous, A. M., Bilous, S. Y., Bissiengou, P., Blanc, L., Bobkova, K. S., Braslavskaya, T., Brienen, R., Burslem, D. F. R. P., Condit, R., Cuni-Sanchez, A., Danilina, D., del Castillo Torres, D., Derroire, G., Descroix, L., Sotta, E. D., d'Oliveira, M. V. N., Dresel, C., Erwin, T., Evdokimenko, M. D., Falck, J., Feldpausch, T. R., Foli, E. G., Foster, R., Fritz, S., Damian Garcia-Abril, A., Gornov, A., Gornova, M., Gothard-Bassebe, E., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Guedes, M., Hamer, K. C., Susanty, F. H., Higuchi, N., Honorio Coronado, E. N., Hubau, W., Hubbell, S., Ilstedt, U., Ivanov, V. V., Kanashiro, M., Karlsson, A., Karminov, V. N., Killeen, T., Koffi, J.-C. K., Konovalova, M., Kraxner, F., Krejza, J., Krisnawati, H., Krivobokov, L. V., Kuznetsov, M. A., Lakyda, I., Lakyda, P. I., Licona, J. C., Lucas, R. M., Lukina, N., Lussetti, D., Malhi, Y., Antonio Manzanera, J., Marimon, B., Marimon Junior, B. H., Vasquez Martinez, R., Martynenko, O. V., Matsala, M., Matyashuk, R. K., Mazzei, L., Memiaghe, H., Mendoza, C., Monteagudo Mendoza, A., Moroziuk, O. V., Mukhortova, L., Musa, S., Nazimova, D. I., Okuda, T., Oliveira, L. C., Ontikov, P. V., Osipov, A. F., Pietsch, S., Playfair, M., Poulsen, J., Radchenko, V. G., Rodney, K., Rozak, A. H., Ruschel, A., Rutishauser, E., See, L., Shchepashchenko, M., Shevchenko, N., Shvidenko, A., Silveira, M., Singh, J., Sonke, B., Souza, C., Sterenczak, K., Stonozhenko, L., Sullivan, M. J. P., Szatniewska, J., Aedoumg, H. T., Ter Steege, H., Tikhonova, E., Toledo, M., Trefilova, O. V., Valbuena, R., Valenzuela Gamarra, L., Vasiliev, S., Vedrova, E. F., Verhovets, S. V., Vidal, E., Vladimirova, N. A., Vleminckx, J., Vos, V. A., Vozmitel, F. K., Wanek, W., West, T. A. P., Woell, H., Woods, J. T., Wortel, V., Yamada, T., Hajar, Z. S. N. & Zo-Bi, I. C., 10 Oct 2019, In: Scientific data. 6, 198Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Valuation of growing stock using multisource GIS data, a stem quality database, and bucking simulation
Sanz, B., Malinen, J., Leppanen, V., Valbuena, R., Kauranne, T. & Tokola, T., 19 Jun 2018, In: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 48, 8, p. 888-897Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Comparison of Statistical Modelling Approaches for Estimating Tropical Forest Aboveground Biomass Stock and Reporting Their Changes in Low-Intensity Logging Areas Using Multi-Temporal LiDAR Data
Rex, F. E., Silva, C. A., Dalla Corte, A. P., Klauberg, C., Mohan, M., Cardil, A., Silva, V. S. D., Almeida, D. R. A. D., Garcia, M., Broadbent, E. N., Valbuena, R., Stoddart, J., Merrick, T. & Hudak, A. T., 8 May 2020, In: Remote Sensing. 12, 9, 1498.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Long-term satellite observations show continuous increase of vegetation growth enhancement in urban environment
Peng, X., Jiang, S., Liu, S., Valbuena, R., Smith, A., Zhan, Y., Shi, Y., Ning, Y., Feng, S., Gao, H. & Wang, Z., 10 Nov 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 898, 165515.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Evaluating tropical forest classification and field sampling stratification from lidar to reduce effort and enable landscape monitoring
Papa, D. D. A., Almeida, D. R. A. D., Silva, C. A., Figueiredo, E. O., Stark, S. C., Valbuena, R., Rodriguez, L. C. E. & Oliveira, M. V. N. D., 1 Feb 2020, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 457, 117634.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Concerns about reported harvests in European forests
Palahí, M., Valbuena, R., Senf, C., Acil, N., Pugh, T. A. M., Sadler, J., Seidl, R., Potapov, P., Gardiner, B., Hetemäki1, L., Chirici, G., Francini, S., Hlásny, T., Lerink, B. J. W., Olsson, H., Olabarria, J. R. G., Ascoli, D., Asikainen, A., Bauhus, J., Berndes, G., Donis, J., Fridman, J., Hanewinkel, M., Jactel, H., Lindner, M., Marchetti, M., Marušák, R., Sheil, D., Tomé, M., Trasobares, A., Verkerk, P. J., Korhonen, M. & Nabuurs, G.-J., 29 Apr 2021, In: Nature. 592, 7856, p. E15-E17Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Recovery of logged forest fragments in a human-modified tropical landscape during the 2015-16 El Niño
Nunes, M. H., Jucker, T., Riutta, T., Svátek, M., Kvasnica, J., Rejžek, M., Matula, R., Majalap, N., Ewers, R. M., Swinfield, T., Valbuena, R., Vaughn, N. R., Asner, G. P. & Coomes, D. A., 9 Mar 2021, In: Nature Communications. 12, 1, p. 1526Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Usability of citizen science observations together with airborne laser scanning data in determining the habitat preferences of forest birds
Mononen, L., Auvinen, A.-P., Packalen, P., Virkkala, R., Valbuena, R., Bohlin, I., Valkama, J. & Vihervaara, P., 15 Dec 2018, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 430, p. 498-508Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Wood biomass potentials for energy in northern Europe: Forest or plantations?
Mola-Yudego, B., Arevalo, J., Díaz-Yáñez, O., Dimitriou, I., Haapala, A., Carlos Ferraz Filho, A., Selkimäki, M. & Valbuena, R., Nov 2017, In: Biomass and Bioenergy. 106, p. 95-103 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Forest canopy height retrieval using LiDAR data, medium-resolution satellite imagery and kNN estimation in Aberfoyle, Scotland
McInerney, D. O., Suarez-Minguez, J., Valbuena, R. & Nieuwenhuis, M., Apr 2010, In: Forestry. 83, 2, p. 195-206 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Remote sensing estimates and measures of uncertainty for forest variables at different aggregation levels
Mauro, F., Molina, I., García-Abril, A., Valbuena, R. & Ayuga-Téllez, E., 2016, In: EnvironMetrics. 27, 4, p. 225-238 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Influence of global navigation satellite system errors in positioning inventory plots for treeheight distribution studies
Mauro, F., Valbuena, R., Manzanera, J. A. & García-Abril, A., 2011, In: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 41, 1, p. 11-23 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Fusion of airborne LiDAR and multispectral sensors reveals synergic capabilities in forest structure characterization
Manzanera, J. A., García-Abril, A., Pascual, C., Tejera, R., Martín-Fernández, S., Tokola, T. & Valbuena, R., 2016, In: GIScience and Remote Sensing. 53, 6, p. 723-738 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Airborne laser scanning for tree diameter distribution modelling: a comparison of different modelling alternatives in a tropical single-species plantation
Maltamo, M., Mehtatalo, L., Valbuena, R., Vauhkonen, J. & Packalen, P., Jan 2018, In: Forestry. 91, 1, p. 121-131Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Large scale multi-layer fuel load characterization in tropical savanna using GEDI spaceborne lidar data
Leite, R. V., Silva, C. A., Broadbent, E. N., Amaral, C. H. D., Liesenberg, V., Almeida, D. R. A. D., Mohan, M., Godinho, S., Cardil, A., Hamamura, C., Faria, B. L. D., Brancalion, P. H. S., Hirsch, A., Marcatti, G. E., Dalla Corte, A. P., Zambrano, A. M. A., Costa, M. B. T. D., Matricardi, E. A. T., Silva, A. L. D., Goya, L. R. R. Y., Valbuena, R., Mendonça, B. A. F. D., Silva Junior, C. H. L., Aragão, L. E. O. C., García, M., Liang, J., Merrick, T., Hudak, A. T., Xiao, J., Hancock, S., Duncason, L., Ferreira, M. P., Valle, D., Saatchi, S. & Klauberg, C., Jan 2022, In: Remote Sensing of Environment. 268, 112764.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Current Trends in Forest Ecological Applications of Three-Dimensional Remote Sensing: Transition from Experimental to Operational Solutions?
Latifi, H. & Valbuena, R., 9 Oct 2019, In: Forests. 10, 10Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Estimation of forest biomass components using airborne LiDAR and multispectral sensors
Hernando, A., Puerto, L., Mola-Yudego, B., Antonio Manzanera, J., Garcia-Abril, A., Maltamo, M. & Valbuena, R., 30 Apr 2019, In: iForest. 12, p. 207-213Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Influence of the resolution of forest cover maps in evaluating fragmentation and connectivity to assess habitat conservation status
Hernando, A., Velázquez, J., Valbuena, R., Legrand, M. & García-Abril, A., Aug 2017, In: Ecological Indicators. 79, p. 295-302 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Remote sensing approach for spatial planning of land management interventions in West African savannas
Heiskanen, J., Liu, J., Valbuena, R., Aynekulu, E., Packalen, P. & Pellikka, P., May 2017, In: Journal of Arid Environments. 140, p. 29-41 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Automated operational logging plan considering multi-criteria optimization
Görgens, E. B., Mund, J.-P., Cremer, T., Conto, T. D., Krause, S., Valbuena, R. & Rodriguez, L. C. E., 1 Mar 2020, In: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 170, p. 105253 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review