LAUSR

Gaps in the forest canopy, created by treefalls, are fundamental to the process of forest dynamics (Yamamoto 2000). Tree-fall gaps are critical for the regeneration of shade-intolerant tree species while at the same time, providing opportunities for the growth and establishment of shade-tolerant tree species (Yamamoto 2000). Gap dynamics is central to understanding change in old-growth forests, and for predicting successional trends and the processes that explain the present structure and composition of tropical and temperate forest communities in the absence of large-scale disturbances (Yamamoto 2000, Muscolo et al. 2014).