Rapid shrub expansion in a subarctic mountain basin revealed by repeat airborne LiDAR

Abstract As a consequence of increasing temperatures, a rapid increase in shrub vegetation has occurred throughout the circumpolar North and is expected to continue. Rates of shrub expansion are highly variable, both at the regional scale and within local study areas. This study uses repeat airborne LiDAR and field surveys to measure changes in shrub vegetation cover along with landscape-scale variations in a well-studied …