RT Journal Article
T1 Evaluating an individual‑based model's ability to reproduce fine‑scale spatial structure in boreal mixed forests
A1 Ghose, Animesh
A1 Marchand, Philippe
A1 Maleki, Kobra
A1 Montoro Girona, Miguel
AB Process-based forest models are increasingly used to guide management, but few are validated against fine-scale spatial patterns that emerge from neighborhood interactions. We tested whether the spatially explicit individualbased model SORTIE-ND, which simulates growth, mortality, and recruitment as functions of neighbourhood interactions among individual trees, can reproduce observed fine-scale structure in boreal mixedwoods. Using long-term data from the Lake Duparquet Research and Teaching Forest (Qúebec) station, we initialized simulations from transect plots representing younger post-fire stands and compared simulated outcomes to independent hectare plots of similar ages along a 249-year chronosequence. The spatial structure was quantified with inhomogeneous L-functions for univariate and bivariate patterns, and model performance was assessed by comparing observed curves to simulation envelopes. SORTIE-ND reproduced fine-scale patterns for balsam fir and trembling aspen, showed partial agreement for white spruce, and failed to match the observed clustering of paper birch. Cross-species patterns were captured for fir–aspen but not for pairs involving white spruce. These results indicate that SORTIE-ND can approximate fine-scale spatial patterns for dominant species in boreal mixedwoods, but limitations remain where key processes (e.g., vegetative propagation, substrate dependence) are under-represented. We discuss implications for stand- to landscape-scale management and recommend model extensions and more independent validation to improve generality.
PB Elsevier
SN 0304-3800
SN 1872-7026 (electrónico)
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28444
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28444
LA eng
NO Ghose, A., Marchand, P., Maleki, K., & Montoro Girona, M. (2026). Evaluating an individual‑based model’s ability to reproduce fine‑scale spatial structure in boreal mixed forests. Ecological Modelling, 519, 111620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2026.111620
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 14 jul 2026