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Characterizing the vertical structure of forests in the Brazilian Amazon
Denis Valle1, Leo Haneda1, Ismael Verrastro Brack1
1School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.
Communications Earth & Environment
|January 12, 2026
Summary
Tropical forest structure is impacted differently by disturbances like fire and logging. While young forests recover quickly in lower strata, taller canopy recovery takes decades, highlighting the need for targeted conservation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Forestry
- Remote Sensing
Background:
- Tropical forest structure is crucial for ecosystem services but remains poorly understood.
- Understanding forest structure aids in effective conservation and management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the vertical forest structure in the Brazilian Amazon using airborne LiDAR data.
- To investigate the impacts of different disturbances on forest strata.
- To identify key environmental predictors and classify forest structural types.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large-scale airborne LiDAR dataset for detailed vertical forest structure assessment.
- Analyzed the differential impacts of fire, selective logging, and windthrow on forest strata.
- Employed modeling to identify significant environmental predictors of forest structure.
- Classified forests into five distinct structural types (FSTs) for spatial analysis.
Main Results:
- Fire significantly impacts lower forest strata, distinct from logging and windthrow effects.
- Secondary forests show rapid recovery in the 1-10m stratum, sometimes exceeding reference areas.
- Full recovery of the 20-30m stratum is not achieved even after 35 years post-disturbance.
- Road proximity, elevation, precipitation, soil pH, and sand content are key predictors of forest structure.
Conclusions:
- Disturbance type and environmental factors critically shape tropical forest vertical structure.
- Long-term monitoring is essential for understanding full forest recovery, especially in upper strata.
- The identified forest structural types (FSTs) provide a framework for spatial conservation and management planning.
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