CRUI Land Use Project - Tree Canopy Leaf Area Index

Data

• hf134-01: leaf area index

Overview

• Lead: Timothy Sipe, Richard Bowden, Charles McClaugherty
• Investigators: Dax Bennett, Heather Frankland, Melissa Kibler, Amanda Lodge
• Contact: Timothy Sipe
• Start date: 1997-06-13
• End date: 1997-06-24
• Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
• Latitude: +42.53 to +42.55
• Longitude: -72.20 to -72.17
• Elevation: 335 to 357 meters
• Taxa:
• Research topic: historical, plot, community
• Study type: short-term measurement
• LTER core area: primary production, disturbance
• Keywords: canopy, LAI, leaf area index, permanent plot
• Release date: 2009
• EML version: knb-lter-hfr.134.3
• Revisions:
• Related links:
• CRUI Land Use Project - Litterfall, Biomass and Productivity
• CRUI Land Use Project - Canopy Sky Factors
• CRUI Land Use Project - Herbaceous Species
• CRUI Land Use Project - Mapped Trees
• CRUI Land Use Project - Microclimate
• CRUI Land Use Project - Photosynthetic Light Response Curves
• CRUI Land Use Project - Herbaceous Stratum Sunfleck Regimes
• CRUI Land Use Project - Tree Seedlings
• CRUI Land Use Project - Herbaceous Community Composition
• CRUI Land Use Project - Soil Properties
• CRUI Land Use Project - Soil Respiration
• Abstract:

  Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes can influence forest composition and structure. We’ve measured differences in forest communities in six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill. None of the sites had noticeable canopy gap disturbance at the time of the measurements. Leaf area index (LAI) was measured with an LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer (Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, NE) at all 77 edge and interior intersection points in the 30 m x 50 m permanent plot (7 columns x 11 rows) in 5 of our 6 land use sites. Under-canopy measurements were made in each site over 25-30 minutes during midday hours (11:00-2:30 EST) on overcast days near solstice (June 13, 18). The under-canopy readings were contrasted with an open-sky measurement taken in an open field near the Harvard Forest headquarters just before beginning data collection in each site.

  LAI averaged 3.98 and ranged from 2.28 to 5.93 across all sites. W1 had the highest site-level mean (4.62) and maximum (5.93) LAI while S2 had the lowest values (mean = 3.41, max = 4.55). The woodlot also showed the greatest spatial variation as measured by C.V., while plow #1 showed the least variation.

• Methods:

  Plot locations: Plow #1 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # III, southern end. Plow #2 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # III, southern end. Pasture #1 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # I, southeastern edge. Pasture #2 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # VIII, central edge. Woodlot #1 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # VIII, northeastern edge. Woodlot #2 Site: Prospect Hill Tract, Compartment # VII, central.

• Use:

  This dataset is released to the public and may be freely downloaded. Please keep the designated Contact person informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation or collaboration with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset must include proper acknowledgement. For more information on LTER Network data access and use policies, please see: http://www.lternet.edu/data/netpolicy.html.

• Citation:

  Sipe T, Bowden R, McClaugherty C. 2009. CRUI Land Use Project - Tree Canopy Leaf Area Index. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF134.

Detailed Metadata

hf134-01: leaf area index

1. Location: individual grid stakes where LAI measurements were made (1-77)
2. Plow 1: LAI for Plow 1 (dimensionless )
3. Plow 2: LAI for Plow 2 (dimensionless )
4. Past 1: LAI for Pasture 1 (dimensionless )
5. Past 2: LAI for Pasture 2 (dimensionless )
6. Wood 1: LAI for Woodlot 1 (dimensionless )