Spatial variation of tropical forest tree height is a key indicator of ecological processes associated with forest growth and carbon dynamics. Here we examine the macroscale variations of tree height of humid tropical forests across three continents and quantify the climate and edaphic controls on these variations. Forest tree heights are systematically sampled across global humid tropical fore...

Airborne laser scanner (ALS) data provide an enhanced capability to remotely map two key variables in forestry: leaf area index (LAI) and tree height (H). Nevertheless, the cost, complexity and accessibility of this technology are not yet suited for meeting the broad demands required for estimating and frequently updating forest data. Here we demonstrate the capability of alternative solutions ...

As trees grow taller, decreased xylem path conductance imposes a major constraint on plant water and carbon balance, and is thus a key factor underlying forest productivity decline with age. The responses of stomatal conductance, leaf area: sapwood area ratio ( A L : A S ) and soil–leaf water potential gradient ( DY S–L ) to height growth were investigated in maritime pine trees. Extensive meas...

We studied tree height in stands of high-Andean Polylepis forests in two cordilleras near Cuzco (Peru) with respect to variations in human impact and climatic conditions, and compared air and soil temperatures between qualitatively defined dry and humid slopes. We studied 46 forest plots of 100 m(2) of five Polylepis species at 3560-4680 m. We measured diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree h...

The requirements for up-to-date tree data in city parks and forests are increasing, and an important question is how to keep the digital databases current for various applications. Traditional map-updating procedures, such as visual interpretation of digital aerial images or field measurements using tachymeters, are either inaccurate or expensive. Recently, the development of laser-scanning tec...

In [Vieira et al. 2004] we presented a new dynamic Metric Access Method (MAM) called DBM-tree. This structure, unlike any other MAM, explores the varying density of elements in the dataset that allows creating, in a controlled way, unbalanced trees. Every dynamic MAM that works with persistent data proposed so far uses the same principle employed in conventional trees, like the B-tree [Comer 19...

We study the statistics of height and balanced height in the binary search tree problem in computer science. The search tree problem is first mapped to a fragmentation problem which is then further mapped to a modified directed polymer problem on a Cayley tree. We employ the techniques of traveling fronts to solve the polymer problem and translate back to derive exact asymptotic properties in t...

We study the statistics of height and balanced height in the binary search tree problem in computer science. The search tree problem is first mapped to a fragmentation problem that is then further mapped to a modified directed polymer problem on a Cayley tree. We employ the techniques of traveling fronts to solve the polymer problem and translate back to derive exact asymptotic properties in th...