1. The northern hardwood forest: a model for ecosystem development; 2. Energetics, biomass, hydrology, and biogeochemistry of the aggrading ecosystem; 3. Reorganization: loss of biotic gegulation; 4. Development of vegetation after clear-cutting: species strategies and plant community dynamics; 5. Reorganization: recovery of biotic regulation; 6. Ecosysten development and the steady state; 7. The steady stete as a component of the landscape; 8. Forest harvest and landscape management.

The treetops of the world's forests are where discovery and opportunity abound, however they have been relatively inaccessible until recently. This book represents an authoritative synthesis of data, anecdotes, case studies, observations, and recommendations from researchers and educators who have risked life and limb in their advocacy of the High Frontier. With innovative rope techniques, cranes, walkways, dirigibles, and towers, they finally gained access to the rich biodiversity that lives far above the forest floor and the emerging science of canopy ecology. In this new edition of Forest Canopies, nearly 60 scientists and educators from around the world look at the biodiversity, ecology, evolution, and conservation of forest canopy ecosystems. Comprehensive literature list State-of-the-art results and data sets from current field work Foremost scientists in the field of canopy ecology Expanded collaboration of researchers and international projects User-friendly format with sidebars and case studies Keywords and outlines for each chapter

Providing a wealth of in-depth knowledge of forest ecosystems, this new volume explores a collection of important topics on forest community dynamics. It looks at the diversity of forest ecosystems and explores such aspects as forest products in enhancing local livelihoods and community participation, forage production, forest conservation and sustainable management, regeneration patterns, seed handling, and more. Chapters in Diversity and Dynamics in Forest Ecosystems present new research on forest products, livelihood generation mechanisms of forest-dependent communities, utilization patterns of untapped resources from forests, and the structure of different ecosystems from the tropical to the temperate landscape. This book also features different drivers of community dynamics, such as the role of seed handling in forests, the influence of altitudinal variations, and protected and community-conserved forests on the forest diversity. Chapters also consider the role of non-timber forest products and their significance in livelihood diversification for tribal communities and forage crop genetic resources, and forest resource extraction by forest fringe dwellers. Also explored are aspects of soil organic carbon in agroforestry systems and integrated approaches of sustainable agroforestry development in diverse forest ecosystems. This edition also examines the vegetation structure and regeneration aspects of timberline zone, including diversity of herbaceous flora along the altitudinal gradient. The abundance of in-depth knowledge of the diversity and dynamics of forest ecosystems in this volume will be valuable in conservation and management of forests, which play an important role in the world environment. Forests are presently facing multiple disturbances, and this volume will help forestry professionals and others formulate further strategies to mitigate global climate change and other challenges.

From the bottom of their roots to the tops of their canopies, forests provide benefits for all of Earth's inhabitants including cultural and spiritual significance, economic opportunities, clean air and water, habitat for flora and fauna, and recreation and aesthetic values. Yet these important ecosystems are being lost at an alarming rate due to resource extraction and urbanization. With forests' irreplaceable services to humans, flora, and fauna alike, and their central role in carbon mitigation strategies, forest loss could have severe impacts on Earth's biodiversity and humanity. However, not all forests are the same. Instead, they consist of a diversity of species, ages, and structures which directly impact the processes that drive carbon sequestration. For example, light use efficiency, photosynthetic capacity, and trace gas exchange are affected by within-canopy radiation regimes and turbulence environments which are directly and indirectly regulated by the horizontal and vertical distribution of foliage within the canopy. Functional traits (e.g., leaf mass per area and foliar nitrogen content) and structural traits (e.g., leaf area density) drive these processes while showing significant variation between and within plant functional types and vertically through forest canopies. These plant functional types and forest traits also appear in different locations across the landscape due to soils, topography, climate, historic landscape conditions, and management activities which directly impacts forest biodiversity.To improve our estimates of processes related to carbon cycling and biodiversity, a better understanding of the three-dimensional variation of forest canopy traits is needed. Airborne remote sensing platforms that make use of hyperspectral and lidar data have recently been operationalized, which provide an opportunity to examine forest functional and structural traits across spatial extents not possible by field surveys alone. This dissertation utilizes these airborne platforms and explicit field testing to estimate three-dimensional forest traits across ecosystems while quantifying the effects of biodiversity, topography, and biogeography on the spatial variation and distribution of these traits.Chapter 1 introduces the concepts and questions raised in this dissertation. Chapter 2 addresses the impacts of spatial scale, pulse density, and canopy penetration on forest structure estimates from two airborne lidar systems, while offering solutions to enhance the accuracy of these estimates by standardizing spatial grains, limiting understory inflation, and utilizing Beer-Lambert coefficients. Chapter 3 assesses the influence of lidar derived forest structure, abiotic gradients, and management regions on the spatial patterns of remotely sensed top-of-canopy and total canopy nitrogen showing that total canopy estimates correspond to different ecological processes and exhibit unique spatial patterns than traditional top-of-canopy nitrogen estimates. Chapter 4 examines how taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity vary across eastern US forests, while assessing to what degree remotely sensed metrics are correlated with in situ biodiversity measures concluding that canopy structure is a critical predictor of forest biodiversity when combined with forest functional and topographic metrics. Chapter 5 summarizes the results and charts a path forward for research on forest structure, function, and diversity. Overall, this dissertation shows that it is critical to consider forest structural and functional traits together to accurately estimate the spatial distribution and variation of canopy processes and biodiversity, while helping to paint a clearer picture of how forests function in a time of rapid global change.

Forests cover approximately 30% of total land area and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earth's biosphere. The canopy is one of the uppermost levels of a forest, below the emergent layer, formed by the tree crowns. The canopy is home to unique flora and fauna not found in other layers of a forest. Trees in the canopy are able to photosynthesise very rapidly thanks to the large amount of light, so it supports the widest diversity of plant as well as animal life in most rainforests. This book presents a wide variety of topics on the ecosystem in forest canopies. Included is a study on light distribution patterns and how it effects the daily photosynthesis of herbaceous vegetation. Recent progress, concerns, and future directions in simulations of vegetation processes are presented as well, in the terrestrial biosphere model that is coupled to a climate system model.

Forest canopies not only support high terrestrial biodiversity but also represent a critical interface between the atmosphere and the earth. They provide goods and services to support diverse human communities and offer opportunities to explore sustainable use of these resources for many generations of local livelihoods. Forest canopies are important carbon sequestration units, and in this sense, serve as climate control for the planet. Canopies are important energy production centers for the planet, and serve as the basis for many food chains. The canopy can also act as a hook for education outreach and conservation, inspiring ecotourism through recreation and other sustainable uses such as treetop walks, zip lines, and birding. Despite these critical services provided by forest canopies, almost no dedicated research in the treetops was initiated until as recently as the late 1970s when single rope techniques were developed by mountaineering professionals and adapted for use in the canopy. Subsequently, an array of canopy access tools was designed in the 1980s and early 1990s that have opened up this “eighth continent” for global exploration and discovery. This volume uses the major findings of the 5th international canopy conference as a platform for organization, but it does not mimic the sessions and presentations of the conference itself. Instead, it builds on the important themes that emerged from the conference and solicits articles that represent future priorities and advancements for canopy science in the next decade. Despite the global efforts of hundreds of forest scientists over the past 3 decades, forests are degrading at an accelerated rate and biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human activities. Given these trends - despite the very best efforts of the world’s best scientists - other approaches must be taken. This volume summarizes the issue of “treetops at risk” and assembles a global authorship to examine past accomplishments and future initiatives critical in forest conservation.