Relationship between forest spatial structure and microclimate using mobile laser scanning

Abstract

Evaluation and prediction of microclimate created by forests are important for climate change mitigation. In this study, we investigated the impact of forest structure on microclimate using mobile laser scanning, which efficiently captures three-dimensional data within forests. The study site is a national forest in Chitose City, Hokkaido, Japan, where trees were windthrown in a major wind disturbance in 2004. We established 18 survey plots across three management areas with different silvicultural treatments and installed temperature loggers at a height of 10 cm above the soil surface. The forest microclimate was affected by the forest structure, which differed depending on the silvicultural treatments. Analysis of the microclimate revealed both the midstory and understory layers of the forest influenced microclimate conditions. The mobile laser enabled efficient collection of detailed spatial data and was well-suited for understanding environmental conditions in wind-disturbed forest areas with limited accessibility.