la hêtraie-sapinière et le LiDAR
Camille ROUET thesis defense

Camille ROUET thesis defense

Effects of species mixing on the aerial structure and functioning of forest ecosystems - A mechanistic modelling and terrestrial LiDAR approach applied to alpine beech-fir stands. Friday 8 November 2024 at 10am at INRAE Avignon in the Cœur de centre amphitheatre

Summary

Mixing tree species appears to be an interesting option in the face of the challenges posed to forests by climate change. Indeed, mixed stands generally show greater biomass productivity and better resistance to various disturbances than monospecific forests. However, despite growing interest in recent years, our knowledge of the relationship between diversity and the functioning of forest stands is still insufficient to anticipate future dynamics and the risks associated with mixed stands. The aim of this work is to gain a better understanding of the effect of interspecific interactions on the functioning of these stands.

To do this, I used comparative plots of beech, fir and beech-fir stands - a mixture that predominates in the montane zone of the Alps. Firstly, using terrestrial LiDAR data, I assessed the effect of the mixture on above-ground structure, in particular leaf area index and light interception efficiency. I also developed and evaluated a process-based, individual-centred forest growth model to test the effect of interspecific interactions on stand productivity and transpiration. The data collected and the simulations carried out highlight both the opportunities and the limitations associated with forest mixes.

Members of the Jury

Benoit Courbaud (reporter)

Thomas Cordonnier (reporter)

Sylvie Durrieu (examiner)

Nathalie Korboulewsky (examiner)

Bruno Fady (thesis supervisor)

Xavier Morin (thesis co-director)

See also

Recommendation of our article in PCI Forest & Wood Sciences: https://forestwoodsci.peercommunityin.org/articles/rec?id=147

This article presents and evaluates the PDG-Arena model, which simulates the functioning of forest mixtures based on inter-individual interactions and ecophysiological processes. The model is based on PhysioDemoGenetics (demography), CASTANEA (physio) and SamsaraLight (competition for light).

Rouet, C., Davi, H., Druel, A., Fady, B., Morin, X., 2024. PDG-Arena: An ecophysiological model for characterizing tree-tree interactions in heterogeneous and mixed stands. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.09.579667

Dreyer, E. (2024) Is it possible to model and predict the growth of mixed-forests under a changing climate : some answers provided by the new model « PDG-Arena » developed on the CAPSIS platform. Peer Community in Forest and Wood Sciences, 100147. 10.24072/pci.forestwoodsci.100147

Modification date: 06 September 2024 | Publication date: 06 September 2024 | By: URFM