Journal
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Volume 433, Issue -, Pages 364-375Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.11.017
Keywords
Airborne LiDAR; Leaf area density; Leaf area index; Forest structure
Categories
Funding
- NSF Macrosystem Biology Program [1702379]
- National Science Foundation
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Internal Research and Development program
- NASA's Terrestrial Ecology program
- NASA's Carbon Cycle program
- NASA's Carbon Monitoring System program
- National Science Foundation through the NEON Program
- United States Department of Energy [DE-SC0012704]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Emerging Frontiers [1550641] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1702379] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Forest processes that play an essential role in carbon sequestration, such as light use efficiency, photosynthetic capacity, and trace gas exchange, are closely tied to the three-dimensional structure of forest canopies. However, the vertical distribution of leaf traits is not uniform; leaves at varying vertical positions within the canopy are physiologically unique due to differing light and environmental conditions, which leads to higher carbon storage than if light conditions were constant throughout the canopy. Due to this within-canopy variation, three-dimensional structural traits are critical to improving our estimates of global carbon cycling and storage by Earth system models and to better understanding the effects of disturbances on carbon sequestration in forested ecosystems. In this study, we describe a reproducible and open-source methodology using the R programming language for estimating leaf area density (LAD; the total leaf area per unit of volume) from airborne LiDAR. Using this approach, we compare LAD estimates at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland, USA, from two airborne LiDAR systems, NEON AOP and NASA G-LiHT, which differ in survey and instrument specifications, collections goals, and laser pulse densities. Furthermore, we address the impacts of the spatial scale of analysis as well as differences in canopy penetration and pulse density on LAD and leaf area index (LAI) estimates, while offering potential solutions to enhance the accuracy of these estimates. LAD estimates from airborne LiDAR can be used to describe the three-dimensional structure of forests across entire landscapes. This information can help inform forest management and conservation decisions related to the estimation of aboveground biomass and productivity, the response of forests to large-scale disturbances, the impacts of drought on forest health, the conservation of bird habitat, as well as a host of other important forest processes and responses.
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