Unraveling Forest Complexity: Resource Use Efficiency, Disturbance, and the Structure‐Function Relationship Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

Structurally complex forests optimize resources to assimilate carbon more effectively, leading to higher productivity. Information obtained from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-derived canopy structural complexity (CSC) metrics across spatial scales serves as a powerful indicator of ecosystem-scale functions such as gross primary productivity (GPP). However, our understanding of mechanistic links between forest structure and function, and the impact of disturbance on the relationship, is limited. Here, we paired eddy covariance measurements of carbon and water fluxes from nine forested sites within the 10 × 10 km CHEESEHEAD19 study domain in Northern Wisconsin, USA with drone LiDAR measurements