--- title: "Introduction to crownmetrics" output: rmarkdown::html_vignette vignette: > %\VignetteIndexEntry{Introduction to crownmetrics} %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8} --- ```{r setup, include = FALSE} knitr::opts_chunk$set( collapse = TRUE, comment = "#>", fig.width = 6, fig.height = 4 ) library(crownmetrics) ``` ## Overview `crownmetrics` is a R package for computing tree crown metrics from basic field measurements. It provides two categories of functions: 1. **Geometric volume and area models** — crown volume (m³) and crown profile area (m²) using five classic geometric solid approximations. 2. **Morphometric indices** — six dimensionless indices widely used in forest inventory and silviculture to characterise tree architecture and competitive status. ### Notation Throughout this document the following symbols are used: | Symbol | Variable | Unit | |--------|----------|------| | $CW$ | Crown width (mean diameter) | **meters** | | $CL$ | Crown length | **meters** | | $H$ | Total tree height | **meters** | | $DBH$ | Diameter at breast height | **centimeters** | --- ## 1. Crown volume Crown volume is approximated by fitting a geometric solid to the crown envelope. The appropriate shape depends on the species and management history (Zhu, Kleinn & Nölke, 2021). ### 1.1 Ellipsoid The ellipsoid is the most widely used approximation for broadleaf and urban trees. When $CW = CL$ the formula reduces to a sphere. $$V_{\text{ellipsoid}} = \frac{4}{3}\,\pi \left(\frac{CL}{2}\right)\left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)^{2}$$ ```{r vol-ellipsoid} crown_volume_ellipsoid(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0) ``` ### 1.2 Cone Suitable for conifers with narrow, pointed crowns (e.g. *Pinus* spp., *Picea* spp.). $$V_{\text{cone}} = \frac{1}{3}\,\pi \left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)^{2} CL$$ ```{r vol-cone} crown_volume_cone(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0) ``` ### 1.3 Cylinder Represents trees with a uniform crown width from base to top. $$V_{\text{cylinder}} = \pi \left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)^{2} CL$$ ```{r vol-cylinder} crown_volume_cylinder(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0) ``` ### 1.4 Paraboloid An intermediate shape between the cone and the cylinder, often considered a reasonable approximation for broadleaf trees. $$V_{\text{paraboloid}} = \frac{1}{2}\,\pi \left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)^{2} CL$$ ```{r vol-paraboloid} crown_volume_paraboloid(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0) ``` ### 1.5 Fan / Umbrella Used for trees with wide, flat crowns (e.g. *Pinus pinea*). The vertical extent of the crown solid is approximated by the stem diameter at breast height converted to meters ($DBH / 100$). $$V_{\text{fan}} = \frac{\pi\,CL^{2}}{4} \cdot \frac{DBH}{100}$$ ```{r vol-fan} crown_volume_fan(crown_length = 5.0, dbh = 22.0) ``` ### 1.6 Comparing shapes The relationship between shapes is fixed for given $CW$ and $CL$: $V_{\text{cylinder}} = 2\,V_{\text{paraboloid}} = 3\,V_{\text{cone}}$, with the ellipsoid falling between the paraboloid and the cylinder. ```{r volume-compare} cw <- 3.5 # crown width (m) cl <- 5.0 # crown length (m) volumes <- c( ellipsoid = crown_volume_ellipsoid(cw, cl), cone = crown_volume_cone(cw, cl), cylinder = crown_volume_cylinder(cw, cl), paraboloid = crown_volume_paraboloid(cw, cl) ) round(volumes, 2) ``` ```{r volume-bar, echo = FALSE} barplot( volumes, col = c("#2d6a4f", "#52b788", "#95d5b2", "#d8f3dc"), border = NA, ylab = expression("Crown volume (m"^3*")"), main = "Crown volume by geometric shape", las = 1 ) ``` ### 1.7 Unified dispatcher `crown_volume()` selects the model via its `shape` argument, accepting `"ellipsoid"`, `"cone"`, `"cylinder"`, `"paraboloid"`, or `"fan"`: ```{r volume-dispatcher} crown_volume(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, shape = "ellipsoid") crown_volume(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, shape = "cone") crown_volume(crown_length = 5.0, dbh = 22.0, shape = "fan") ``` --- ## 2. Crown area Two types of area are available. ### 2.1 Crown profile areas (lateral cross-section) These represent the two-dimensional silhouette of the crown as seen from the side (McPherson & Rowntree, 1988; Zhu, Kleinn & Nölke, 2021). **Ellipse** — used with the ellipsoid and paraboloid volume models: $$A_{\text{ellipse}} = \pi \left(\frac{CL}{2}\right)\left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)$$ **Triangle** — used with the cone volume model: $$A_{\text{triangle}} = \frac{CW \cdot CL}{2}$$ **Rectangle** — used with the cylinder volume model: $$A_{\text{rectangle}} = CW \cdot CL$$ **Fan / umbrella** — used with the fan volume model: $$A_{\text{fan}} = \frac{\pi\,CL}{4}$$ ```{r area-profile} crown_area(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, shape = "ellipse") crown_area(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, shape = "triangle") crown_area(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, shape = "rectangle") crown_area(crown_length = 5.0, shape = "fan") ``` ### 2.2 Crown projection area (horizontal) The crown projection area (CPA) is the area of the crown's shadow on the ground, assuming a circular crown outline (Sayn-Wittgenstein & Aldred, 1972): $$CPA = \pi \left(\frac{CW}{2}\right)^{2}$$ ```{r area-projection} crown_projection_area(crown_width = 3.5) ``` --- ## 3. Morphometric indices Morphometric indices are dimensionless ratios that characterise tree architecture, stability, and competitive status. All indices follow Durlo & Denardi (1998) and Burger (1939). ### 3.1 Crown Ratio — CR The fraction of total height occupied by the living crown. Higher values indicate greater photosynthetic potential and crown vitality. $$CR = \frac{CL}{H}$$ ```{r idx-pc} crown_ratio(crown_length = 5.0, total_height = 18.0) crown_ratio(crown_length = 5.0, total_height = 18.0, as_percentage = TRUE) ``` ### 3.2 Crown Form Factor — CF The ratio of crown width to crown length. Values $> 1$ indicate wide, flat crowns; values $< 1$ indicate tall, narrow crowns. $$CF = \frac{CW}{CL}$$ ```{r idx-fc} crown_form(crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0) ``` ### 3.3 Slenderness Index — SLI The ratio of total height to DBH (both expressed in meters). Higher values indicate more slender trees with greater susceptibility to wind and snow damage. $$SLI = \frac{H}{DBH / 100}$$ ```{r idx-ge} slenderness(total_height = 18.0, dbh = 22.0) ``` ### 3.4 Salience Index — SAI Expresses how many times wider the crown is than the trunk diameter (both in meters). Reflects the tree's capacity to occupy horizontal space relative to its stem size. $$SAI = \frac{CW}{DBH / 100}$$ ```{r idx-is} salience_index(crown_width = 3.5, dbh = 22.0) ``` ### 3.5 Scope Index — SCI The ratio of crown width to total tree height. Describes the lateral competitive reach of the crown relative to tree height. $$SCI = \frac{CW}{H}$$ ```{r idx-ia} scope_index(crown_width = 3.5, total_height = 18.0) ``` ### 3.6 Vital Space Index — VSI The ratio of crown projection area to stem basal area. Expresses how many times more ground area the crown occupies compared to the stem cross-section. Note that the $\pi$ terms cancel, so $VSI = SAI^{2}$. $$VSI = \frac{CPA}{BA} = \frac{\pi\,(CW/2)^{2}}{\pi\,(DBH/200)^{2}} = \left(\frac{CW}{DBH/100}\right)^{2}$$ ```{r idx-iev} vital_space_index(crown_width = 3.5, dbh = 22.0) ``` ### 3.7 Summary table | Symbol | Name | Equation | Interpretation | |--------|------|----------|----------------| | CR | Crown Ratio | $CL\,/\,H$ | Crown occupancy; higher = more leaf area | | CF | Crown Form | $CW\,/\,CL$ | $>1$: wide flat; $<1$: narrow tall | | SLI | Slenderness | $H\,/\,(DBH/100)$ | Higher = more wind-sensitive | | SAI | Salience Index | $CW\,/\,(DBH/100)$ | Crown breadth relative to stem | | SCI | Scope Index | $CW\,/\,H$ | Lateral reach relative to height | | VSI | Vital Space Index | $(CW/DBH_{m})^{2}$ | Growing space efficiency | ### 3.8 Computing all indices at once ```{r morph-single} crown_morphometrics( crown_width = 3.5, crown_length = 5.0, total_height = 18.0, dbh = 22.0 ) ``` --- ## 4. Batch processing with `crown_metrics()` For inventory datasets, `crown_metrics()` computes every volume, area, and morphometric index in one pass, returning the original data frame with all metric columns appended. Crown shape is specified per-row via integer codes or character strings: | Integer | Character | Solid | |---------|-----------|-------| | 0 | `"ellipsoid"` | Ellipsoid | | 1 | `"cone"` | Cone | | 2 | `"cylinder"` | Cylinder | | 3 | `"paraboloid"` | Paraboloid | | 4 | `"fan"` | Fan | ```{r batch} inventory <- data.frame( tree_id = 1:6, species = c("Araucaria", "Pinus", "Eucalyptus", "Araucaria", "Pinus", "Eucalyptus"), crown_width = c(3.0, 2.0, 4.0, 3.5, 2.5, 4.5), crown_length = c(5.0, 6.0, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 3.0), total_height = c(18.0, 20.0, 12.0, 16.0, 19.0, 11.0), dbh = c(22.0, 18.0, 25.0, 20.0, 17.0, 28.0), shape_code = c(0L, 1L, 0L, 0L, 1L, 3L) ) result <- crown_metrics(inventory, col_shape = "shape_code") result[, c("tree_id", "species", "crown_volume_m3", "crown_projection_area_m2", "slenderness", "crown_ratio")] ``` If no shape column is provided, all rows default to the ellipsoid model. --- ## References Burger, H. (1939). Baumkrone und Zuwachs in zwei hiebsreifen Fichtenbeständen. *Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Anstalt für das Forstliche Versuchswesen*, 21, 147–176. Durlo, M. A., & Denardi, L. (1998). Morfometria de *Cabralea canjerana*, em mata secundária nativa do Rio Grande do Sul. *Ciência Florestal*, 8(1), 55–66. McPherson, E. G., & Rowntree, R. A. (1988). Geometric solids for simulation of tree crowns. *Landscape and Urban Planning*, 15(3–4), 79–83. Sayn-Wittgenstein, L., & Aldred, A. H. (1972). Tree size from large-scale photos. *Photogrammetric Engineering*, 38, 971–973. Sterba, H. (1991). *Forstliche Wuchslehre*. Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien. Wink, C., Monteiro, J. S., Reinert, D. J., & Liberalesso, E. (2012). Parâmetros da copa e a sua relação com o diâmetro e altura das árvores de eucalipto em diferentes idades. *Scientia Forestalis*, 40(93), 57–67. Zhu, Z., Kleinn, C., & Nölke, N. (2021). Assessing tree crown volume — a review. *Forestry*, 94(1), 18–35.