The scientific research team of Peking University found that water has a "negative effect" on forest height.

Beijing, 14 Dec (Xinhua) the scientific research team of Peking University, led by Fang Jingyun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently used spaceborne lidar data to reveal the global forest height distribution and determinants, that is, excessive precipitation is not conducive to tree height growth. This discovery is of great significance for the study of forest carbon cycle, forest management and the improvement of global dynamic vegetation model.

Forest height is one of the most basic structural parameters of forest, which is of great significance for estimating forest biomass and predicting biodiversity. For this reason, the pattern and determinants of global forest height have always been the focus of academic research. Around this topic, scientists have put forward many hypotheses and generally believe that water is the most important factor in determining forest height, that is, with the increase of water, the forest height increases gradually, and finally maintains at the highest height.

Recently, a research team led by Academician Fang Jingyun of the School of cities and Environment of Peking University used spaceborne lidar data to assess the pattern and determinants of global forest canopy height. They found that global forest heights are highest near latitudes 40 degrees north and south and at the equator. Through the study, the team concluded that water is indeed the main determinant of forest height, but with the increase of water, the forest height decreases gradually after reaching the maximum value, and too much precipitation is not conducive to the growth of tree height.

This research result overturns the long-standing academic understanding of this scientific issue, and finds the "negative effect" of water on forest height, which is of guiding significance for forest research and management in the future. The research results were recently published in Ecology, an authoritative journal in the field of ecological science in the United States. (reporter Wei Mengjia)