Beschreibung:
<jats:p> In k-tree sampling, also referred to as point-to-tree distance sampling, the k nearest trees are measured. The problem associated with k-tree sampling is its lack of unbiased density estimators. The presented density estimator based on point pattern reconstruction remedies that shortcoming. It requires the coordinates of all k trees. These coordinates are translated into a simulation window where they remain unchanged. Empirical cumulative distribution functions of intertree and location-to-tree distances estimated from the sample plots are set as target characteristics. Using the idea of simulated annealing, an optimal new tree pattern is constructed in the simulation window outside the k-tree samples. The reconstruction of the point pattern minimizes the contrast between the empirical cumulative distribution functions and their analogs for the simulated pattern. The density estimator is simply the tree density of the optimum pattern in the simulation window. The performance of the reconstruction-based density estimator is assessed for k = 6 and k = 4 based on systematic sampling grids regarding its potential application in forest inventories. Simulations are carried out using real stem maps (covering different stand densities and different types of spatial point patterns, such as regular, clustered, and random) as well as completely random patterns. The new density estimator proves to be empirically superior in terms of bias and root mean squared error compared with commonly used estimators. The reconstruction-based density estimator has biases smaller than 2%. </jats:p>