Recent applications of point process methods in forestry statistics

Forestry statistics is an important field of applied statistics with a long tradition. Many forestry problems can be solved by means of point processe s or marked point processes. There, the "points" are tree locations and the "marks" are tree characteristics such as diameter at breast height or degr ee of damage by environmental. factors. Point process characteristics are v aluable tools for exploratory data analysis in forestry, for describing the variability of forest stands and for understanding and quantifying ecologi cal relationships. Models of point processes are also an important basis of modern single-tree modeling, that gives simulation tools for the investiga tion of forest structures and for the prediction of results of forestry ope rations such as plantation and thinning.