Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning
Mixed forests make up the majority of natural forests, and they are conducive to improving the resilience and resistance of forest ecosystems. Moreover, it is in the crown of the trees where the effect of inter- and intra-specific interaction between them is evident. However, our knowledge of change...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4955 |
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| author | Sara Uzquiano Ignacio Barbeito Roberto San Martín Martin Ehbrecht Dominik Seidel Felipe Bravo |
| author_facet | Sara Uzquiano Ignacio Barbeito Roberto San Martín Martin Ehbrecht Dominik Seidel Felipe Bravo |
| author_sort | Sara Uzquiano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixed forests make up the majority of natural forests, and they are conducive to improving the resilience and resistance of forest ecosystems. Moreover, it is in the crown of the trees where the effect of inter- and intra-specific interaction between them is evident. However, our knowledge of changes in crown morphology caused by density, competition, and mixture of specific species is still limited. Here, we provide insight on stand structural complexity based on the study of four response crown variables (Maximum Crown Width Height, MCWH; Crown Base Height, CBH; Crown Volume, CV; and Crown Projection Area, CPA) derived from multiple terrestrial laser scans. Data were obtained from six permanent plots in Northern Spain comprising of two widespread species across Europe; Scots pine (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L.) and sessile oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i> (Matt.) Liebl.). A total of 193 pines and 256 oaks were extracted from the point cloud. Correlation test were conducted (ρ ≥ 0.9) and finally eleven independent variables for each target tree were calculated and categorized into size, density, competition and mixture, which was included as a continuous variable. Linear and non-linear multiple regressions were used to fit models to the four crown variables and the best models were selected according to the lowest AIC Index and biological sense. Our results provide evidence for species plasticity to diverse neighborhoods and show complementarity between pines and oaks in mixtures, where pines have higher MCWH and CBH than oaks but lower CV and CPA, contrary to oaks. The species complementarity in crown variables confirm that mixtures can be used to increase above ground structural diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:45:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3048e775e7ec4c4caf7166674c96d0b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:45:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-3048e775e7ec4c4caf7166674c96d0b52023-11-23T02:58:54ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-12-011323495510.3390/rs13234955Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser ScanningSara Uzquiano0Ignacio Barbeito1Roberto San Martín2Martin Ehbrecht3Dominik Seidel4Felipe Bravo5Instituto Universitario de Investigación y Gestión Forestal Sostenible—iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid—INIA, Avda. Madrid s/n, 34004 Palencia, SpainDepartment of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaInstituto Universitario de Investigación y Gestión Forestal Sostenible—iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid—INIA, Avda. Madrid s/n, 34004 Palencia, SpainDepartment of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Faculty of Forest Science, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyDepartment for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, Faculty of Forest Science, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyInstituto Universitario de Investigación y Gestión Forestal Sostenible—iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid—INIA, Avda. Madrid s/n, 34004 Palencia, SpainMixed forests make up the majority of natural forests, and they are conducive to improving the resilience and resistance of forest ecosystems. Moreover, it is in the crown of the trees where the effect of inter- and intra-specific interaction between them is evident. However, our knowledge of changes in crown morphology caused by density, competition, and mixture of specific species is still limited. Here, we provide insight on stand structural complexity based on the study of four response crown variables (Maximum Crown Width Height, MCWH; Crown Base Height, CBH; Crown Volume, CV; and Crown Projection Area, CPA) derived from multiple terrestrial laser scans. Data were obtained from six permanent plots in Northern Spain comprising of two widespread species across Europe; Scots pine (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L.) and sessile oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i> (Matt.) Liebl.). A total of 193 pines and 256 oaks were extracted from the point cloud. Correlation test were conducted (ρ ≥ 0.9) and finally eleven independent variables for each target tree were calculated and categorized into size, density, competition and mixture, which was included as a continuous variable. Linear and non-linear multiple regressions were used to fit models to the four crown variables and the best models were selected according to the lowest AIC Index and biological sense. Our results provide evidence for species plasticity to diverse neighborhoods and show complementarity between pines and oaks in mixtures, where pines have higher MCWH and CBH than oaks but lower CV and CPA, contrary to oaks. The species complementarity in crown variables confirm that mixtures can be used to increase above ground structural diversity.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4955<i>Pinus sylvestris</i><i>Quercus petraea</i>multiple regression modelsspecies complementaritycompetition |
| spellingShingle | Sara Uzquiano Ignacio Barbeito Roberto San Martín Martin Ehbrecht Dominik Seidel Felipe Bravo Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning Remote Sensing <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> <i>Quercus petraea</i> multiple regression models species complementarity competition |
| title | Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
| title_full | Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
| title_short | Quantifying Crown Morphology of Mixed Pine-Oak Forests Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning |
| title_sort | quantifying crown morphology of mixed pine oak forests using terrestrial laser scanning |
| topic | <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> <i>Quercus petraea</i> multiple regression models species complementarity competition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4955 |
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