Influence of shading on the relationship between leaf area and crown surface area in sugar maple stands

A functional relationship is proposed between leaf area, fractal dimension of the crown surface, shade tolerance and light availability. This relationship is obtained by setting an arbitrary limit between crown porosity to light and crown convolution. A crown profile is modeled from the total length and horizontal extension of second-order branches to estimate the crown surface area. A submodel simulates total canopy openness from geometrical characteristics of the crown of first-order neighbors to estimate light availability. To allow its insertion into growth and yield models, the model is simplified and validated with data gathered in six stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), in southern Quebec.