LiDAR data was collected using LSI's proprietary Helix LiDAR system - Novatel GPS and SPANS inertial unit, coupled to a Riegl Q560 digital waveform ranging laser and mounted in a Cessna 185 aircraft. LiDAR was collected at 600m AGL, and a ground speed of 160km/h. Original data was in an ASCII XYZ coordinate format.

A lidar dataset (*light detection and ranging*) is a collection of 3D points represented in the form of a point cloud, generated from laser surveys (airborne).Remote sensing by airborne laser or lidar refers to a remote sensing or optical measurement technology based on the analysis of the properties of laser light returned to its emitter. The coordinates of the lidar points correspond to the precise positions where the laser pulses emitted by the lidar sensor have been reflected by objects or surfaces. In other words, each lidar spot represents a specific location where the light beam touched a surface and returned to the sensor. These coordinates are expressed in three dimensions (X, Y, Z) and make it possible to create very detailed and accurate representations of the terrain.In particular, lidar data allows:* to generate, among other things, numerical terrain (DTM) and surface (MNS) models;* to visualize the territory in perspective;* to perform three-dimensional spatial analyses for various needs, including: * the identification of areas potentially exposed to landslides and bank erosion; * landslide modeling; * the production of by-products and analyses of forest sectors; * the delimitation of flood zones.These datasets are the result of various intergovernmental collaborations, in particular with several ministries of the Government of Quebec, as well as with the federal government and the municipal sector. The geographic coverage corresponds to the information available on the download map and will be improved according to the availability of new data. In most cases, the data shown on this map corresponds to classified data. In the absence of classified data, but in the presence of raw data, it is the latter that will be presented on the map. Users of [*Open Forest*] (https://www.foretouverte.gouv.qc.ca/?pos=@-69.01196,50.56983&ctx=_telechargement&layers=236id,0v,38z;275id,272pid,1v,6z&groups=272id,T%C3%A9l%C3%A9chargement%20-%20Lidar%20(nuages%20de%20points)t,5z,1v,1e) can also download this data on this platform. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Forest Elevation(Ht) Mean 2015Mean height of lidar first returns (m). Represents the mean canopy height. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018) Wulder et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Lorey's Height 2015Lorey's mean height. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Average height of trees weighted by their basal area (m). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Elevation(Ht) Stddev 2015Standard deviation of height of lidar first returns (m). Represents the variability in canopy heights. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Percentage Above 2m 2015Percentage of first returns above 2 m (%). Represents canopy cover. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest 95th Percentile Elevation(Ht) 201595th percentile of first returns height (m). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Basal Area 2015Cross-sectional area of tree stems at breast height. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). The sum of the cross-sectional area (i.e. basal area) of each tree in square metres in a plot, divided by the area of the plot (units = m2ha). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Percent Above Mean 2015Percentage of first returns above the mean height (%). It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Represents the canopy cover above mean canopy height. Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Gross Stem Volume 2015Gross stem volume. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Individual tree gross volumes are calculated using species-specific allometric equations. In the measured ground plots, gross total volume per hectare is calculated by summing the gross total volume of all trees and dividing by the area of the plot (units = m3/ha). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011