A Methodology for Modelling Canopy Structure: An Exploratory Analysis in the Tall Wet Eucalypt Forests of Southern Tasmania

Forests

Ian Scanlan¹  Chris McElhinny¹ 

[1] Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, ACTON, ACT 0200, Canberra, Australia; E-Mail:

关键词: stratification;    foliage;    tree crown;    spatial models;    AutoCAD;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f1010004

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

A ground-based methodology is presented for spatially modelling forest canopy structure. Field measurements and allometric relationships are used to predict the profiles of free-growing tree crowns on the basis of stem diameter at breast height (dbh). These profiles are incorporated into three-dimensional canopy models using AutoCAD™ technical drawing software and field data describing the genus, dbh and relative positions of all trees greater than 10 cm dbh; critically, our models account for the effects of competition for light between neighbouring crowns. By horizontally partitioning the models, the presence of distinct strata and the dominant genera associated with each stratum can be identified. Our methodology is applicable to other forest ecosystems as a research tool for investigating changes in vertical structure, and for calibrating remote sensing technologies in order to map and monitor canopy structural variation across forested landscapes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2010 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.