Canopy architecture and remote sensing of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by boreal conifer forests

Measurements of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) absorbed by the forest overstory were made at 20 sites in black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) boreal forests located in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. Canopies of both species have similar vertical tree crown structure but different branch and shoot architecture. Intensive investigation was made on the effect of these canopy architecture on …