Article
Remote Sensing
Shaohui Zhang, Cedric Vega, Christine Deleuze, Sylvie Durrieu, Pierre Barbillon, Olivier Bouriaud, Jean-Pierre Renaud
Summary: The French National Forest Inventory provides detailed forest information at national and regional scales, but small area estimation is also important for local decision making. Remote sensing technology, such as airborne laser scanning and satellite imagery, can be used as auxiliary information to improve the accuracy of small area estimation. This study demonstrates that pairing the French National Forest Inventory plots with nearby GEDI footprints and using a two-phase sampling scheme can improve the accuracy of forest volume estimates.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tommaso Jucker, Fabian Jorg Fischer, Jerome Chave, David A. Coomes, John Caspersen, Arshad Ali, Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou, Ted R. Feldpausch, Daniel Falster, Vladimir A. Usoltsev, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Luciana F. Alves, Mohammad Aminpour, Ilondea B. Angoboy, Niels P. R. Anten, Cecile Antin, Yousef Askari, Rodrigo Munoz, Narayanan Ayyappan, Patricia Balvanera, Lindsay Banin, Nicolas Barbier, John J. Battles, Hans Beeckman, Yannick E. Bocko, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Frans Bongers, Samuel Bowers, Thomas Brade, Michiel van Breugel, Arthur Chantrain, Rajeev Chaudhary, Jingyu Dai, Michele Dalponte, Kangbeni Dimobe, Jean-Christophe Domec, Jean-Louis Doucet, Remko A. Duursma, Moises Enriquez, Karin Y. van Ewijk, William Farfan-Rios, Adeline Fayolle, Eric Forni, David Forrester, Hammad Gilani, John L. Godlee, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Matthias Haeni, Jefferson S. Hall, Jie-Kun He, Andreas Hemp, Jose L. Hernandez-Stefanoni, Steven Higgins, Robert J. Holdaway, Kiramat Hussain, Lindsay B. Hutley, Tomoaki Ichie, Yoshiko Iida, Hai-sheng Jiang, Puspa Raj Joshi, Hasan Kaboli, Maryam Kazempour Larsary, Tanaka Kenzo, Brian D. Kloeppel, Takashi Kohyama, Suwash Kunwar, Shem Kuyah, Jakub Kvasnica, Siliang Lin, Emily R. Lines, Hongyan Liu, Craig Lorimer, Jean-Joel Loumeto, Yadvinder Malhi, Peter L. Marshall, Eskil Mattsson, Radim Matula, Jorge A. Meave, Sylvanus Mensah, Xiangcheng Mi, Stephane Momo, Glenn R. Moncrieff, Francisco Mora, Sarath P. Nissanka, Kevin L. O'Hara, Steven Pearce, Raphael Pelissier, Pablo L. Peri, Pierre Ploton, Lourens Poorter, Mohsen Javanmiri Pour, Hassan Pourbabaei, Juan Manuel Dupuy-Rada, Sabina C. Ribeiro, Casey Ryan, Anvar Sanaei, Jennifer Sanger, Michael Schlund, Giacomo Sellan, Alexander Shenkin, Bonaventure Sonke, Frank J. Sterck, Martin Svatek, Kentaro Takagi, Anna T. Trugman, Farman Ullah, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Ahmad Valipour, Mark C. Vanderwel, Alejandra G. Vovides, Weiwei Wang, Li-Qiu Wang, Christian Wirth, Murray Woods, Wenhua Xiang, Fabiano de Aquino Ximenes, Yaozhan Xu, Toshihiro Yamada, Miguel A. Zavala
Summary: Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape are crucial for ecological research. To overcome the challenge of obtaining such data, researchers have developed the Tallo database, which includes georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees from around the world.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Antoine Leboeuf, Martin Riopel, Dave Munger, Marie-Soleil Fradette, Jean Begin
Summary: This study developed and validated parametric merchantable wood volume estimation models for mapping forest attributes using LiDAR data. The models showed good accuracy rates when compared to validation zones.
Article
Forestry
Ting-Ru Yang, John A. Kershaw, Mark J. Ducey
Summary: The study proposes a system of allometric equations to estimate forest structural attributes by predicting key structural variables and solving for other components, leading to mathematically and biologically consistent estimates. Results show that the systems approach can provide reasonable and compatible estimates with lower required sample sizes, especially when multiple attributes need to be considered simultaneously. Testing the portability of the systems approach in more complex stand structures and across different LiDAR acquisitions will be required in the future.
Article
Forestry
Simon Janssen, Hans Pretzsch, Anton Burgi, Laura Ramstein, Leo Gallus Bont
Summary: Accurate georeferencing is crucial for modeling and predicting forest indicators like timber volume. Different methods were evaluated in this study to improve the co-registration between field measurements and remote sensing data in a forest inventory. The best results were achieved with a method that models inventory tree-crowns as spheres and uses a correlation metric called SQDIFF_-NORMED.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jie Yang, Nathan G. Swenson
Summary: Forest tree communities are shaped by interactions between phenotypes and environments. Functional traits provide insights into plant tradeoffs. The relationships between tree crown-stem diameter and tree height-stem diameter are coordinated with functional trait tradeoff axes. Interspecific variation in tree architecture is driven by variation in allometric intercepts rather than slopes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Carlos A. Gonzalez-Benecke, M. Paulina Fernandez, Jorge Gayoso, Matias Pincheira, Maxwell G. Wightman
Summary: Accurate estimation of tree diameter, height, volume, and biomass is crucial for economic and ecological applications. This study presents exponential equations for predicting these parameters in planted stands of different tree species using varying levels of input data. The models perform well, especially when height and crown area are known, and can be applied across a wide range of ages and densities.
Article
Remote Sensing
Karel Kuzelka, Robert Marusak, Peter Surovy
Summary: This study evaluated the use of mobile laser scanning technology for collecting individual tree data in a natural forest. The results showed that the technology could accurately acquire tree positions and diameters, although there were some errors and missed detections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
David Dusek, Jiri Novak, Jakub Cerny
Summary: Currently, Norway spruce often grows outside its ecological optimum, resulting in extensive damage. Stabilizing current spruce stands, especially young ones, can extend the time required for adaptation measures. Our study confirmed the need to respect different site conditions as part of adaptation efforts, using a semiparametric generalized linear model to analyze spruce stands' stability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jason Kelley, J. A. (Tony) Trofymow, Christopher Bone
Summary: This research focuses on using a hybrid method to develop models for predicting merchantable and non-merchantable wood volumes before harvesting, showing promising results for improving accuracy compared to conventional data approaches.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiang Gao, Jiangming Kan
Summary: This study develops an automatic diameter at breast height (DBH) measurement method based on structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry. The proposed method utilizes a new image acquisition technique and an automatic estimation pipeline to achieve high accuracy and fast DBH measurement. The results show that the method has comparable accuracy to traditional physical measurements and has potential applications in forest inventory.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amelia Holcomb, Linzhe Tong, Srinivasan Keshav
Summary: This paper presents an algorithm that uses a low-cost smartphone LiDAR sensor to automatically estimate the trunk diameter. The algorithm is implemented in a smartphone app and tested in different forests, showing accurate results and significant reduction in surveyor time.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sungchan Oh, Jinha Jung, Guofan Shao, Gang Shao, Joey Gallion, Songlin Fei
Summary: The forest canopy height model (CHM) is a crucial tool for analyzing forest stocking and its spatiotemporal variations. This study presents a high-resolution CHM generation method using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) LiDAR data for the entire state of Indiana, USA. The accuracy of the CHM was validated through comparison with field-based height measurements. Furthermore, the resulting CHM can serve as critical baseline information for monitoring and management decisions, as well as the calculation of other key forest metrics.
Article
Forestry
Zhengnan Zhang, Tiejun Wang, Andrew K. Skidmore, Fuliang Cao, Guanghui She, Lin Cao
Summary: The diameter at breast height (DBH) is an important trait for studying plant ecology and biodiversity, as well as managing forests. Traditional ground-based approaches for measuring individual tree DBH over large areas are time-consuming and expensive. In this study, we propose an improved area-based approach using airborne LiDAR data to estimate plot-level DBH by utilizing the relationship between tree height and DBH. The results demonstrate the potential of using height-DBH relationships to improve the accuracy of estimating plot-level DBH from airborne LiDAR data.
Article
Forestry
Marcus Vinicius Vieira Borges, Janielle de Oliveira Garcia, Tays Silva Batista, Alexsandra Nogueira Martins Silva, Fabio Henrique Rojo Baio, Carlos Antonio da Silva Junior, Gileno Brito de Azevedo, Glauce Tais de Oliveira Sousa Azevedo, Larissa Pereira Ribeiro Teodoro, Paulo Eduardo Teodoro
Summary: This study tested the efficiency of artificial neural networks in predicting the diameter at breast height (DBH) and total plant height (Ht) of Eucalyptus species at stand level using spectral bands and vegetation indices measured by a UAV multispectral sensor. Results showed that ANNs with three hidden layers performed the best, providing accurate predictions for DBH and Ht of different Eucalyptus species. The study highlights the potential of using spectral bands and vegetation indices obtained with a UAV multispectral sensor and ANNs for accurate forest inventories, reducing labor and time.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michaela Hildebrand, Maria D. Perles-Garcia, Matthias Kunz, Werner Haerdtle, Goddert von Oheimb, Andreas Fichtner
Summary: Functional dissimilarity does not necessarily promote crown complementarity, but branch trait divergences between different tree species have significant impacts on crown complementarity. Tree species pairs with greater functional differences tend to have higher crown complementarity, while the divergence in branch density plays a crucial role in determining the effects on crown complementarity.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Michaela Hildebrand, Maria D. Perles-Garcia, Matthias Kunz, Werner Haerdtle, Goddert von Oheimb, Andreas Fichtner
Summary: Functional dissimilarity does not promote crown complementarity, but branch trait divergences have an impact. Greater functional trait dissimilarity and smaller differences in branch density contribute to crown complementarity, while smaller functional trait differences and larger branch density differences also enhance crown complementarity.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Julia Lutke Schwienhorst, Corinna Pyrlik, Anna Tomberge, Andreas Fichtner, David Walmsley, Goddert von Oheimb, Werner Hardtle
Summary: The study analyzed the interactive effects of nitrogen fertilization and drought on plant growth, and how these effects are modulated by competitive interactions. The results demonstrated that competitive interactions can shape the effects of global change drivers on plant growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Florian Schnabel, Xiaojuan Liu, Matthias Kunz, Kathryn E. Barry, Franca J. Bongers, Helge Bruelheide, Andreas Fichtner, Werner Haerdtle, Shan Li, Claas-Thido Pfaff, Bernhard Schmid, Julia A. Schwarz, Zhiyao Tang, Bo Yang, Juergen Bauhus, Goddert von Oheimb, Keping Ma, Christian Wirth
Summary: Increasing tree species richness improves forest community stability by enhancing asynchrony among species, buffering the community against stress-related productivity declines. This stability is positively associated with differences in stomatal control and resistance-acquisition strategies among species, highlighting the importance of diverse, mixed-species forests for climate change adaptation.
Article
Ecology
Franca J. Bongers, Bernhard Schmid, Helge Bruelheide, Frans Bongers, Shan Li, Goddert von Oheimb, Yin Li, Anpeng Cheng, Keping Ma, Xiaojuan Liu
Summary: In a long-running forest biodiversity experiment in China, the study found that as forests develop, the effects of functional diversity on productivity surpassed those of community-weighted mean values after 7 years, becoming more reliable predictors of productivity. Therefore, forest restoration projects should plant multispecies communities with large functional diversity to promote long-term productivity.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Martin Baumann, Sebastian Dittrich, Goddert von Oheimb
Summary: Research indicates that transitioning from monospecific coniferous to broadleaved stands will increase the diversity of epiphytic bryophytes in forest ecosystems.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria D. Perles-Garcia, Matthias Kunz, Andreas Fichtner, Nora Meyer, Werner Haerdtle, Goddert von Oheimb
Summary: Reforestation in sloping terrain is crucial for soil erosion control and sustainable watershed management. However, the mechanical stability of reforested stands can be compromised due to tree crown asymmetry. Our study found that neighbourhood tree species richness and slope inclination significantly reduce crown asymmetry.
Article
Agronomy
Louis Georgi, Matthias Kunz, Andreas Fichtner, Anne Bienert, Hans-Gerd Maas, Goddert von Oheimb
Summary: Efficient use of limited canopy space can enhance productivity, but the relationship between tree diversity and canopy space occupation (CSO) remains debated. This study demonstrates that the definition of canopy space and consideration of different tree size classes significantly affect the direction and strength of the tree diversity-CSO relationship.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Karl Friedrich Reich, Matthias Kunz, Andreas W. Bitter, Goddert Von Oheimb
Summary: Forest management aiming at high structural heterogeneity is crucial for modern forestry. However, there is no standardized approach to assess forest heterogeneity, resulting in the use of various structural indices. This study compared six different structural indices and recommended the use of TLS-based indices for evaluating forest structural heterogeneity.
IFOREST-BIOGEOSCIENCES AND FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Remy Beugnon, Wensheng Bu, Helge Bruelheide, Andrea Davrinche, Jianqing Du, Sylvia Haider, Matthias Kunz, Goddert von Oheimb, Maria D. D. Perles-Garcia, Mariem Saadani, Thomas Scholten, Steffen Seitz, Bala Singavarapu, Stefan Trogisch, Yanfen Wang, Tesfaye Wubet, Kai Xue, Bo Yang, Simone Cesarz, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: This study conducted in a Chinese subtropical forest experiment revealed a strong positive correlation between soil microbial biomass and soil carbon concentrations. It was found that an increase in tree productivity and tree root diameter led to an increase in soil carbon concentration, while an increase in litterfall C:N content resulted in a decrease in soil carbon concentration. Tree functional traits also modulated microenvironmental conditions, with significant consequences for soil microbial biomass.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Perttu Anttonen, Maria Perles-Garcia, Matthias Kunz, Goddert von Oheimb, Yi Li, Helge Bruelheide, Ke-Ping Ma, Chao-Dong Zhu, Andreas Schuldt
Summary: Tree species richness, forest structure, and seasonal fluctuations have significant effects on trophic interactions in forest ecosystems. This study reveals that forest structure, in addition to tree species richness, influences predation pressure. Furthermore, the interplay of structural elements, spatial scale, and seasonal dynamics plays a crucial role in shaping predation pressure.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)