Revolutionising Woodland Structural Mapping with the CHCNAV RS10

March 3, 2026

Project Profile

Company: Wren 3D Mapping Solutions
Project: Woodland Structural Mapping
Location: Bontuchel, Sir Ddinbych, Wales
Equipment Used: CHCNAV RS10 Handheld Scanner, Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS)
Outcomes: Reduced mapping time per plot from 5 days to 1 day, improved efficiency, and generated data suitable for national policy-shaping.

The Challenge of the Forest Floor

Woodland environments are some of the most challenging terrains for modern surveyors to map. Dense canopies, highly complex vertical structures, and notoriously uneven ground make data capture and positioning extremely difficult.

Between June and December 2025, Wren 3D Mapping Solutions undertook an extensive Woodland Structural Mapping project in Bontuchel, Sir Ddinbych. The goal was to capture and analyse detailed three-dimensional woodland architecture, separating ground, understorey vegetation, and individual tree canopies to create a baseline for long-term monitoring. However, relying purely on traditional Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) proved incredibly time-consuming, taking approximately five days to complete a single plot.

Enter the CHCNAV RS10

Looking to optimise the workflow, Wren 3D integrated the CHCNAV RS10 handheld scanner into their equipment roster to work alongside traditional TLS. The results were immediate and transformative.

By leveraging the RS10, Wren 3D managed to reduce plot scanning times from five days to just roughly one day. The integrated GNSS of the RS10 proved invaluable for both initial data capture and the subsequent registration and alignment of complex datasets. By capturing smaller, overlapping sections and utilising well-placed control points, the team successfully mitigated drift and maintained a highly consistent, detailed point cloud even under dense woodland canopy.

Shaping National Environmental Policy

The high-quality data and resulting technical reports generated from this project have not gone unnoticed. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has recognised the immense value of this highly detailed woodland structural data and is looking into upgrading the report to serve as national evidence.

Rather than remaining a standalone technical report, Wren 3D's data may soon be used to shape widespread environmental policy and woodland management guidelines across Wales. This breakthrough potentially opens the door to vast amounts of mapping work on government estates nationwide.

Looking to the Future

With the RS10 now a firm fixture in Wren 3D’s mapping arsenal, owner Dan Shaw is already looking toward the future. As the scale of woodland surveys expands, the team is exploring improved methodologies to push accuracy and efficiency even further.

Upcoming workflows will look to integrate a GNSS rover for enhanced precision and tighter data alignment with GIS platforms. Additionally, Wren 3D is keen to introduce UAVs (drones) into the data capture process to ensure complete top-down canopy coverage, pairing aerial data seamlessly with the ground-level detail captured by the RS10. With such rich data being gathered, there is even potential for this methodology to be formalised into a scientific paper exploring best practices, equipment, and data analysis in woodland environments.

What the Customer Had to Say

We are thrilled to see our equipment making such a profound difference in the field. Here is what Dan Shaw had to share about his experience using the RS10 on this project:

As part of recent woodland LiDAR work, the CHC RS10 handheld scanner was used alongside terrestrial laser scanning across multiple plots.

Woodland environments are notoriously difficult to map, with dense canopy, complex structure and uneven terrain all affecting data capture and positioning. The RS10 provided a practical way to work through these challenges while maintaining strong coverage.

The impact on efficiency was significant. Traditional TLS workflows were taking around five days per plot, while the RS10 reduced this to roughly one day, allowing much faster coverage while still fitting into the wider processing and analysis workflow.

The integrated GNSS proved particularly useful, both during data capture and later during processing when, registering and aligning datasets. Performance can still be affected under dense canopy, so each plot required a considered approach depending on terrain, canopy gaps and overall stand complexity.

To maintain alignment quality, scans were captured as smaller overlapping sections where needed, supported by well-placed control. This helped reduce drift and improve consistency across more complex areas.

Used alongside TLS, the RS10 proved to be a practical and efficient tool for scaling woodland surveys while maintaining a strong level of detail.

Overall, the CHC RS10 is a fantastic piece of kit, and I can’t thank Andy and PQS enough for their support throughout the project.

Dan Shaw

Owner at Wren 3D Mapping Solutions