Estimation of leaf area index in fourteen southern Wisconsin forest stands using a portable radiometer

Projected leaf area index (LAI) and Beer-Lambert Law extinction coefficients (K) were estimated for 28-year-old Picea abies (L.) Karst., Larix decidua Mill., Pinus resinosa Ait., and Pinus strobus L. plantations using vertical profile data obtained with a portable integrating radiometer (sunfleck ceptometer). Predicted LAI values were compared with direct measures of LAI. Based on dimensional analysis, LAI ranged from 5.0 for Larix decidua to 10.5 for Picea abies. Significant inverse relationships between cumulative LAI and canopy transmitted radiation were observed for the four species (R(2) = 0.92-0.97). Beer-Lambert extinction coefficients ranged from 0.39 for Picea abies to 0.84 for Pinus strobus. Stand-level predictions of LAI based on the Beer-Lambert Law were compared with measured LAI values for eight conifer and six broadleaf stands. Using local K estimates resulted in predicted LAI values with an average 6% error. Using published K values resulted in an average error of 20%. High LAI and concomitantly low light levels below the canopy of Picea abies stands resulted in large overestimation errors in predicted LAI, rendering the sunfleck ceptometer inappropriate for forests with large LAIs.