Use this plant measurement when samples, dry- or fresh-mass basis, image threshold, geometry, instrument calibration, and treatment timing follow one consistent protocol.

Canopy fuel mass

A finite measured or assumed value greater than or equal to 0, expressed in kg.

Canopy volume

A finite measured or assumed value, expressed in m³.

The implementation follows this calculation rule: Compute canopy bulk density in kilograms per cubic metre as the canopy fuel mass divided by the canopy volume.^[1]

Canopy bulk density

The calculated canopy bulk density in kg/m³.

Pigment proxies, canopy metrics, tissue density, and leakage indices are method-dependent. Species, developmental stage, hydration, illumination, extraction efficiency, sensor angle, and environmental conditions can confound comparisons. Ratios and percentages become unstable when their denominator is small, uncertain, or defined differently between samples.

Pair the proxy with calibrated chemical analysis, destructive biomass sampling, or repeated field measurements where practical. Report environmental conditions and whether values use fresh mass, dry mass, area, or volume.

• Canopy Cover %

  Compute canopy cover as canopy area divided by total plot area times 100.

• Gap Fraction %

  Compute canopy gap fraction as a percentage of sky-visible pixels over total hemispherical image pixels.

• Canopy Height Difference

  Derive canopy height by subtracting the ground elevation from the maximum surface elevation of a canopy height model.