Impacts of forest management on the spatiotemporal variability of forest microclimates
The forest microclimate determines habitat quality and influences biodiversity as well as several ecosystem functions. The spatial and temporal variability of forest microclimates depend on the dynamics of 3D forest structures, which are in turn modified by forest management.
The project´s main objective is to investigate how forest management affects the dynamics of 3D forest structure and how this impacts the spatio-temporal variability of forest microclimates. Thereby, we aim at contributing to a better understanding of forest management impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
We hypothesize that forest management impacts the dynamics of 3D forest structures and that the spatial and temporal variability of microclimates increases with increasing frequency of management interventions and associated changes in 3D forest structures.
We will conduct terrestrial laser scanning on each of the 150 Experimental Plots to quantify the 3D forest structure of differently managed and unmanaged forests. Based on this, a time series of forest microclimate measurements and preceding 3D forest structure surveys will be used to investigate the influence of different forest management approaches on the dynamics of the 3D forest structure and the associated variability of forest microclimates.
Scientific assistants
