Environmental landscape determinants of maximum forest canopy height of boreal forests

Aims Canopy height is a key driver of forest biodiversity and carbon cycling. Accurate estimates of canopy height are needed for assessing mechanisms relating to ecological patterns and processes of tree height limitations. At global scales forest canopy height patterns are largely controlled by climate, while local variation at fine scales is due to differences in disturbance history and local patterns in environmental conditions. The relative effect of local environmental drivers on canopy height is poorly understood partly due to gaps in data on canopy height and methods for examining limiting factors. Here, we used airborne laser scanning (ALS) data on vegetation structure of boreal forests to examine the effects of environmental factors on potential maximum forest canopy height.