Though lasers excel at penetrating vegetation to measure the ground surface below, the accuracy of the resulting topographic model depends on the success of software used to distinguish ground from vegetation. Any errors will then affect the snow depth estimates that are made by subtracting ground height from snow surface height. We take field measurements using high-precision GPS equipment to assess the errors of drone-based laser measurements in a small watershed on Vancouver Island. Field measurements and computer models of snow density allow us to estimate the equivalent water volume represented by a given snow volume. Our drone-based data are also compared to plane-based data from the Hakai/UNBC Airborne Coastal Observatory. We will present initial results and provide an assessment of snow depth error using various methods, and implications for operational questions related to forest management and water supply.