Leaves are the active interface of energy, carbon and water exchanges between forest canopies and the atmosphere. The leaf component of a canopy may be quantified by its structural attribute Leaf Area Index (LAI), projected leaf area per unit of ground area. This parameter regulates several ecophysiological processes, such as evapotraspiration and photosynthesis. Hence, it is related to stand productivity and is a key variable in various stand and regional-scale models. The objective of this task is to provide an estimation of the overall photosynthetic surface and net primary production of the forest ecosystems. Indeed by means of LAI measurements the crown structure and the light conditions under the canopy layer are analyzed. In Germany LAI measurements were carried out in 38 plots of the Exploratory Region.

LAI measurements were replicated on five positions inside each plot, in corrispondence of the littertraps. A systematic sequence of meaurements, inside in each plot, were done in order to know the variation of the leaf area inside the plot (LAI value for each littertrap position).

Hainich National Park, Germany

Data are treated at plot level