SP5 Terrestrial Laser Scans
SP5 Terrestrial Laser Scans: Exploring the thermodynamical link between structural complexity and resilience of forests
Persons involved:
Dominik Seidel (PI)
Sarah Kabache (PhD student, associated)
Research outline:
It has been hypothesized that evolution resulted in forests with complex structures because they enable a more efficient use of sunlight. If complex forest structures, like those found in primary forests, allow for a more efficient use of sun light as energy source, structurally complex forests would have more resources available for growth, defense, storage, adaptation or reproduction and should therefore be more resilient to perturbations (Seidel and Ammer 2023). As the energy intake of a forest depends on light absorption, it is not surprising that positive relationships between the vertical layering of foliage and the productivity and light use efficiency of forests have been identified. The energy available for physiological process and finally for adaptation and building resilience is related to the light use efficiency, which itself is strongly tied to the structural complexity of the forest structures. This structural complexity can today be quantified for forest using a holistic and quantitative measure, the box-dimension from 3D laser scanning (Seidel 2018). At the same time, spaceborne sensors measure the earth surface temperature on high spatial and temporal resolution, data that can be used to calculate the energy budget of a forest.
Our objective (O1) is to investigate the structural complexity – resilience relationship by contrasting the structural complexity of forest with the amount of energy they release via radiation. Our hypothesis (H1) is that forests of greater structural complexity emit less energy due to a greater proportion of the incoming energy being used within the ecosystem.
Project update
During our latest 3D laser scan measurements for summer 2025 on the FoResLab plots, we came across this ash tree in the Hainich. A beautiful example showing that while it is difficult to model trees, it has now become easy to measure them. Although this tree is dead, it still impressively demonstrates the peculiar shapes that occur in the forest. In the video, you can see how the tree’s growth direction first goes vertically upward (as we know it) and then turns almost vertically downward. The top of the tree “dangles” only a few centimeters above the forest floor but does not actually touch it. In the meantime, all scans have been completed, and the digital representations of our experimental plots are available to everyone!
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dominik Seidel
University of Göttingen
Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests
Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen
Phone.: 0551 39- 23680
Email: dseidel@gwdg.de