I would like to measure LAI in forests by taking simultaneous PAR readings under the canopy and in a nearby clearing with Decagon’s AccuPAR LP-80. This isn’t possible using the probe and an external sensor as the maximum length of the cable connecting the two is far short of the height of the canopy or the distance to a clearing/ride.
Has anyone used an AccuPAR LP-80 to measure LAI in forests and, if so, do you have any suggestions for the best way to do this using simultaneous readings?
Many thanks
Kirsty
You can use of course a datalogger (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John_Kovacs/publication/23487661_Evaluating_the_condition_of_a_mangrove_forest_of_the_Mexican_Pacific_based_on_an_estimated_leaf_area_index_mapping_approach/links/55ae89cc08aed614b09a72f0.pdf)
In my study, two AccuPAR sensors were used by two operators simultaneously, the one fixed in a clearing, the other movig below the canopy sampling points (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168192312002766).
Anyway, the AccuPAR alone was not the best method to estimate LAI, unless you knwo the extinction coefficient. You can integrate measurements of radiation transmittance with side photographs to estimate the extinction coefficient, see http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00468-011-0566-6
If you need further details & suggestions, you can write me at [email protected]
Article Evaluating the condition of a mangrove forest of the Mexican...
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