Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures

The forest canopy is one of the chief determinants of the microhabitat within the forest. It affects plant growth and survival, hence determining the nature of the vegetation, and wildlife habitat. A plethora of different techiques have been devised to measure the canopy. Evaluation of the literatur...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jennings, S.B., Brown, A.G., Sheil, Douglas
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 1999
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17917
_version_ 1855529065747841024
author Jennings, S.B.
Brown, A.G.
Sheil, Douglas
author_browse Brown, A.G.
Jennings, S.B.
Sheil, Douglas
author_facet Jennings, S.B.
Brown, A.G.
Sheil, Douglas
author_sort Jennings, S.B.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The forest canopy is one of the chief determinants of the microhabitat within the forest. It affects plant growth and survival, hence determining the nature of the vegetation, and wildlife habitat. A plethora of different techiques have been devised to measure the canopy. Evaluation of the literature reveals confusion over what is actually being measured. This paper distinguishes two basic types of measurement: canopy cover is the area of the ground covered by a vertical projection of the canopy, while canopy closure is the proportion of the sky hemisphere obscured by vegetation when viewed from a single point. The principal techniques used to measure canopy cover, canopy closure, and a number of related measures are described and discussed. The advantages and limitations are outlined and some sampling guidelines are provided. The authors hope to clarify the nature of the measurements and to provide foresters with sufficient information to select techniques suitable for their needs.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace17917
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 1999
publishDateRange 1999
publishDateSort 1999
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace179172025-01-24T14:13:17Z Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures Jennings, S.B. Brown, A.G. Sheil, Douglas canopy measurement habitats The forest canopy is one of the chief determinants of the microhabitat within the forest. It affects plant growth and survival, hence determining the nature of the vegetation, and wildlife habitat. A plethora of different techiques have been devised to measure the canopy. Evaluation of the literature reveals confusion over what is actually being measured. This paper distinguishes two basic types of measurement: canopy cover is the area of the ground covered by a vertical projection of the canopy, while canopy closure is the proportion of the sky hemisphere obscured by vegetation when viewed from a single point. The principal techniques used to measure canopy cover, canopy closure, and a number of related measures are described and discussed. The advantages and limitations are outlined and some sampling guidelines are provided. The authors hope to clarify the nature of the measurements and to provide foresters with sufficient information to select techniques suitable for their needs. 1999 2012-06-04T09:04:44Z 2012-06-04T09:04:44Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17917 en Jennings, S.B., Brown, A.G., Sheil, D. 1999. Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures . Forestry 72 (1) :59-73.
spellingShingle canopy
measurement
habitats
Jennings, S.B.
Brown, A.G.
Sheil, Douglas
Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title_full Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title_fullStr Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title_full_unstemmed Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title_short Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures
title_sort assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination canopy closure canopy cover and other measures
topic canopy
measurement
habitats
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17917
work_keys_str_mv AT jenningssb assessingforestcanopiesandunderstoreyilluminationcanopyclosurecanopycoverandothermeasures
AT brownag assessingforestcanopiesandunderstoreyilluminationcanopyclosurecanopycoverandothermeasures
AT sheildouglas assessingforestcanopiesandunderstoreyilluminationcanopyclosurecanopycoverandothermeasures