Fast and accurate estimates of understory leaf area are essential to a wide range of ecological applications. Indirect methods have mainly been used to estimate leaf area of overstory but their application in understory remains largely unexplored. In this study we described a combination of digital photographic methods to obtain rapid, reliable and non-destructive estimate of leaf area index of understory deciduous trees. Nadir photography was used to estimate foliage cover, vertical gap fraction and foliage clumping index. Leveled photography was used to characterize the leaf angle distribution of the examined tree species. Leaf area index estimates obtained combining the two photographic methods were compared with direct measurements obtained from harvesting (. L).We applied these methods in Quercus cerris, Carpinus betulus and Fagus sylvatica stands. Foliage cover estimates derived from two nadir image classification methods were significantly correlated with leaf area index measurements obtained from harvesting. The leveled digital photographic method, previously tested in tall trees and field crops, provided reliable leaf angle measurements in understory tree species. Digital photography provided good indirect estimates of L. We conclude that digital photography is suitable for routine estimate and monitoring of understory leaf area, on account of its fast and cost-effective procedure. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Old-growth forests are characterized by the presence of large and very large trees. The estimation of their wood volume and biomass is essential in order to monitor the ecological processes in these stands and their contribution to carbon cycle. However, conventional wood volume estimation techniques based on mensuration of stem diameter at breast height and tree height is most often unfeasible for large and very large trees in old-growth forests because volume models or tables are usually elaborated from trees of smaller size grown up in regularly managed forest stands. Random Branch Sampling (RBS) is often proposed as a possible estimation alternative under such conditions. Starting from the ground level some of the parts of the main trunk and of the branches are sampled and measured to estimate the overall wood volume (or other biophysical variables). The application of RBS in old-growth forests, where tree cutting is usually forbidden or very difficult, requires that the crown of the tree can physically be reached to measure the sampled parts. We argue that under such conditions it is usually preferable to fully measure all the components of the tree crown because RBS estimates are not precise if based on only one sampling path and that, on the other hand, measuring the main trunk and all the branches by tree-climbing consumes the same time as replicating several RBS paths on the same tree. To demonstrate our hypothesis we selected 16 large beech trees located in the old-growth forest of Mount Cimini in Central Italy. Using a modern tree-climbing approach the main trunk and all the branches were measured and recorded in the field. The database was used to simulate RBS paths. Real values from volume census were contrasted with estimates based on RBS. On the whole, RBS estimates based on one single path prove to be highly imprecise. Even for trees characterized by a rather regular form, at least three RBS paths should be repeated on the same tree to maintain the relative standard error under or near 15%. This paper introduces the problem and describes the experimental test. The results are discussed under the perspective of standardized application of the proposed methodology. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.