Multifractal analysis of canopy height measures in a longleaf pine savanna

Spatial patterns of forest canopies are fractal as they exhibit variation o ver a continuum of scales. A measure of fractal dimension of a forested lan dscape represents the spatial summation of physiologic (leaf-level), demogr aphic (population-level), and abiotic (e.g., edaphic) processes, as well as exogenous disturbances (e.g., fire and hurricane) and thus provides a basi s to classify or monitor such systems. However, forests typically exhibit a spectrum of fractal parameters which yields further insight to the geometr ic structure of the system and potentially the underlying processes. We cal culated multifractal properties of longleaf pine flatwoods, the predominant ecosystem of central Florida, from canopy profile data derived from an air borne laser altimeter and ground-based measurements in The Nature Conservan cy's Disney Wilderness Preserve located near Kissimmee, Florida. These metr ics were compared for six approximate to 500 m transects to determine the l evel of consistency between remotely sensed and field measures and within a forest community. Multifractal techniques uncovered subtle differences bet ween transects that could correspond to unique, underlying abiotic and biot ic processes. These techniques should be considered a valuable tool for eco logical analysis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.