Publications 2010 – 2019 – Forest Ecology and Conservation Group

The impact of selective logging and clearcutting on forest structure, tree diversity and above-ground biomass of African tropical forests

Tropical deforestation is well known to have serious negative consequences for biodiversity, terrestrial carbon sinks and the balance of atmospheric greenhouse gases. By contrast, selective logging of tropical forests is often regarded as having a lesser impact on the ecosystem particularly in long terms, even though there have been few critical evaluations of the practice,…
Nationally Representative Plot Network Reveals Contrasting Drivers of Net Biomass Change in Secondary and Old-Growth Forests

We use a spatially representative network of 874 forest plots in New Zealand to examine whether commonly hypothesised drivers of forest biomass and biomass change (diversity, disturbance, nutrients and climate) differ between old-growth and secondary forests at a national scale. Holdaway, R.J.; Easdale, T.A.; Carswell, F.E.; Richardson, S.J.; Peltzer, D.A.; Mason, N.W.H.; Brandon, A.M.; Coomes,…
Drivers of aboveground wood production in a lowland tropical forest of West Africa: teasing apart the roles of tree density, tree diversity, soil phosphorus, and historical logging

We used permanent forest plot data from the Gola Rainforest National Park–one of the largest tracts of intact tropical moist forest in West Africa–to explore how stand basal area and tree diversity, past disturbance associated with past logging, and underlying soil nutrient gradients interact to determine rates of aboveground wood production. Jucker, T.; Sanchez, A.C.;…
Individual Tree Species Classification From Airborne Multisensor Imagery Using Robust PCA

In this study, we developed a generic workflow to map tree species at ITC level from hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR data using a combination of well established and recently developed techniques. Lee. J et al. 2016 PDF
Asymmetric competition causes multimodal size distributions in spatially structured populations

We created an individual-based model simulating the growth of trees in a spatially explicit framework, which was parametrised using data from a long-term study of forest stands in New Zealand. Velázquez, J.; Allen, R.B.; Coomes, D.A.; Eichhorn, M.P. 2015 PDF
Climate modulates the effects of tree diversity on forest productivity

We tested whether the relationship between tree species richness and AWP changes across sites as a function of large-scale gradients in climatic productivity and tree packing density and among years within each sites as a result of fluctuating climatic conditions. Jucker, T.; Avacariței, D.; Barnoaiea, I.; Duduman, G.; Bouriaud, O; Coomes, D.A. 2016 PDF
Allometric equations for integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes

Here, we compile a global database of 108753 trees for which stem diameter, height and crown diameter have all been measured, including 2395 trees harvested to measure aboveground biomass. Using this database, we develop general allometric models for estimating both the diameter and aboveground biomass of trees from attributes which can be remotely sensed. Jucker,…
Jack-of-all-trades effects drive biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationships in European forests

We develop a novel approach to partition biodiversity effects on multifunctionality into three mechanisms and apply this to European forest data. We show that throughout Europe, tree diversity is positively related with multifunctionality when moderate levels of functioning are required,but negatively when very high function levels are desired. Plas et al. 2016 PDF
Tree-centric mapping of forest carbon density from airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral data

We show this approach is highly reliable: tests in the Italian Alps demonstrated a close relationship between field- and ALS-based estimates of carbon stocks (r²=0.98). Small trees are invisible from the air, and a correction factor is required to accommodate this effect. Dalponte, M.; Coomes, D.A. 2016 PDF