LiDAR top-height trajectories

This dataset contains longitudinal LiDAR-derived top-height observations for raster cells across seven National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) forest sites. The data are stored in long format, with one row per raster cell and acquisition year. For each cell, the dataset records the LiDAR-derived top height, the initial observed height, elapsed time since the first acquisition, acquisition year, site identifier, projected coordinates, and coordinate reference system. The top height is represented by the 99th percentile of LiDAR point heights within each raster cell and is expressed in metres. These repeated observations were used to model forest height-growth trajectories and identify latent productivity classes in heterogeneous and uneven-aged forests (TO ADD DOI WHEN AVAILABLE). Variable descriptions: id: Unique identifier for the raster cell. dt: Elapsed time, in years, since the first observation for that cell. HT0: Initial LiDAR-derived top height for the cell, in metres. HTop: LiDAR-derived top height at the corresponding acquisition year, in metres. site: NEON site code. X: Projected easting coordinate of the raster cell. Y: Projected northing coordinate of the raster cell. crs: Coordinate reference system, given as an EPSG code. year: Year of the LiDAR acquisition. YEAR0: Year of the first observation for the cell.