Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 11, Issue 6, Pages 2561-2572Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7216
Keywords
box dimension; forest ecology; ground-based LiDAR; growth and yield; silviculture; terrestrial laser scanning; tree structure
Categories
Funding
- Belgian Federal Science Policy Office [SR/02/355]
- H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions [835398]
- Academy of Finland [315079, 330422]
- Academy of Finland (AKA) [315079, 330422, 315079, 330422] Funding Source: Academy of Finland (AKA)
- Marie Curie Actions (MSCA) [835398] Funding Source: Marie Curie Actions (MSCA)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study utilized 3D information to assess the impact of forest management on the structural complexity of individual Scots pine trees, finding that thinning increased structural complexity. The study also identified a relationship between structural complexity and tree attributes.
Tree functional traits together with processes such as forest regeneration, growth, and mortality affect forest and tree structure. Forest management inherently impacts these processes. Moreover, forest structure, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon uptake can be sustained and enhanced with forest management activities. To assess structural complexity of individual trees, comprehensive and quantitative measures are needed, and they are often lacking for current forest management practices. Here, we utilized 3D information from individual Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees obtained with terrestrial laser scanning to, first, assess effects of forest management on structural complexity of individual trees and, second, understand relationship between several tree attributes and structural complexity. We studied structural complexity of individual trees represented by a single scale-independent metric called box dimension. This study aimed at identifying drivers affecting structural complexity of individual Scots pine trees in boreal forest conditions. The results showed that thinning increased structural complexity of individual Scots pine trees. Furthermore, we found a relationship between structural complexity and stem and crown size and shape as well as tree growth. Thus, it can be concluded that forest management affected structural complexity of individual Scots pine trees in managed boreal forests, and stem, crown, and growth attributes were identified as drivers of it.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available