Dynamic changes in land use, many of which are related to land abandonment, are taking place in many regions of the world. As a result, forest vegetation appears, which in part is a consequence of planned afforestation programs and in part has the characteristics of secondary forest succession. Monitoring of forest structure allows the range and dynamics of such changes to be identified. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of historical aerial photographs in the determination of forest structure. On the basis of such data, a point cloud was created which represented the forest structure in 1966. Subsequently, using airborne laser scanning data for the same area, corresponding datasets describing the situation in 2012 were created. Comparison of the two tall vegetation models made it possible to perform four analyses related to forest structure changes over a period of 46 years. The analyses were carried out in four areas in southern Poland. The analysis of the results confirmed that historical aerial photographs may be a valuable source in long-term analyses of changes in the range and height structure of areas containing tall vegetation.

The railway system in Poland is undergoing technological transformation. The development of the Polish railway system concerns not only high-speed trains but also infrastructure. The steel bridge is the most popular type of railway bridge in Poland. Most of them were built in the 1950s and 1960s. According to the recommendations in place in Western Europe, such railway bridges should be reviewed in terms of their fitness for use with modern high-speed trains. The modern technological revolution affects not only the railway, but also developments in displacement and deformation measurement techniques. New technologies provide more objective measurement results and accelerate results processing. They also facilitate the non-contact measurement of bridge structure stability. The authors investigated the vertical displacement of an old steel railway bridge in three different, specific case studies of terrestrial laser scanning data application. Then, the results of 3D data were compared with traditional land surveying results. The scientific results led to a conclusion that a strictly determined methodology of the measurement and analysis of a terrestrial laser scanner results supported by traditional land surveying techniques facilitates the determination of the vertical displacement of bridges with acceptable accuracy.

Blue stain is a type of discoloration that considerably lowers the aesthetic qualities of wood. During harvesting, fungal inoculum finds its way into the wood through places of cutting, delimbing, and damage to the tree stem. The development of peripheral blue stain in the logs of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) due to damage by a harvester head was investigated, using logs felled and delimbed with a chainsaw as reference. The development of blue stain was related to the age class of the stand, the date of felling, and the microclimatic conditions of the wood storage place. The mean surface area of blue stain in logs produced with the harvester was almost 35 cm2, approximately 30% larger than that of the reference logs. In stands of the fourth age class (diameter at breast height 32 cm), the surface of blue stain was more than two times larger than that of stands of the third age class (diameter at breast height 24 cm). The mean area of blue stain in wood stored after spring felling (19.3 cm2) was about 50% of that after summer felling (38.2 cm2). In particular, the development of blue stain in logs obtained with a harvester was visible between weeks 6 and 9 after spring felling and between weeks 3 and 6 after summer felling. For both felling dates, the range of blue stain depended less on air temperature around the wood stack and depended more on the duration of storage.

Abstract. The terrestrial laser scanning technology has a wide spectrum of applications, from land surveying, civil engineering and architecture to archaeology. The technology is capable of obtaining, in a short time, accurate coordinates of points which represent the surface of objects. Scanning of buildings is therefore a process which ensures obtaining information on all structural elements a building. The result is a point cloud consisting of millions of elements which are a perfect source of information on the object and its surrounding. The photogrammetric techniques allow documenting an object in high resolution in the form of orthophoto plans, or are a basis to develop 2D documentation or obtain point clouds for objects and 3D modelling. Integration of photogrammetric data and TLS brings a new quality in surveying historic monuments. Historic monuments play an important cultural and historical role. Centuries-old buildings require constant renovation and preservation of their structural and visual invariability while maintaining safety of people who use them. The full process of surveying allows evaluating the actual condition of monuments and planning repairs and renovations. Huge sizes and specific types of historic monuments cause problems in obtaining reliable and full information on them. The TLS technology allows obtaining such information in a short time and is non-invasive. A point cloud is not only a basis for developing architectural and construction documentation or evaluation of actual condition of a building. It also is a real visualization of monuments and their entire environment. The saved image of object surface can be presented at any time and place. A cyclical TLS survey of historic monuments allows detecting structural changes and evaluating damage and changes that cause deformation of monument's components. The paper presents application of integrated photogrammetric data and TLS illustrated on an example of historic monuments from southern Poland. The cartographic materials are a basis for determining the actual condition of monuments and performing repair works. The materials also supplement the archive of monuments by means of recording the actual image of a monument in a virtual space.

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