Using direct and indirect measurements of leaf area index to characterize the shrub canopy in an ombrotrophic peatland

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important ecological parameter that characterizes the interface between a vegetation canopy and the atmosphere. Indirect measurements of LAI using optical techniques such as the LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer have been routinely conducted for different vegetation canopies including forests and agricultural crops. However, little attention has been paid to shrub canopies of peatlands, where microtopography presents an …