| Content | The promotion of complex forest structures has been set as one of the primary management goals in modern silviculture. Recent studies had shown that structurally complex forests may be characterized by a higher stability and resilience towards abiotic and biotic disturbances.
The structural complexity of forests depends on the heterogeneity of biomass distribution in three-dimensional space and thus on tree individuals' distributional and architectural patterns and components. Better understanding the drivers of stand structural complexity is paramount to comprehend the mechanisms behind species mixing effects on forest ecosystem functioning. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how structural complexity is created in a forest by the intermingling of different tree species, their individual structural characteristics and the resulting exploration of canopy space.
Nowadays, the complexity of a single trees and forest stands can be analyzed quantitively and across all three dimensions through the availability of point clouds derived from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS).
This project will provide a holistic approach to assess changes of stand structural complexity along gradients of elevation and forest management intensity in Durango, Mexico, by exploring the main mechanisms driving stand structural complexity in forest areas with different species compositions. |
