Protection forest management requires reliable data on the structural characteristics of forest stands with high spatial resolution, which could be delivered by airborne laser scanning. We subtracted a digital surface model (DSM), derived from the last LiDAR pulses, from a digital terrain model (DTM), derived from the first LiDAR pulses, to obtain a “normalized crown model” (nCM).In conclusion, we are of the opinion that airborne laser scanning provides excellent data for protection forest management. It provides reliable information on the positions of individual, dominating and co-dominating trees and on the position of collectives and the tree heights. In addition, it provides excellent input data for 3D natural hazard simulation models, even in steep terrain.