The mechanical stability of the world’s tallest broadleaf trees

• Published in: Biotropica Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 110 - 120
• Main Authors: Jackson, Tobias D., Shenkin, Alexander F., Majalap, Noreen, Bin Jami, Jamiluddin, Bin Sailim, Azlin, Reynolds, Glen, Coomes, David A., Chandler, Chris J., Boyd, Doreen S., Burt, Andy, Wilkes, Phil, Disney, Mathias, Malhi, Yadvinder
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2021
• Subjects: biomechanics; Borneo; Danum Valley; Ecophysiology; finite element analysis; gravitational stability; Gravity; Height; Lasers; Material properties; maximum tree height; Menara; plant architecture; Risk; Shorea; Shorea faguetiana; Stability; Strain gauges; terrestrial laser scanning (TLS); tree height; Trees; Tropical climate; Tropical environments; Tropical forests; tropical plants; Wind damage; Wind loads; Wind speed; Borneo

The factors that limit the maximum height of trees, whether ecophysiological or mechanical, are the subject of longstanding debate. Here, we examine the role of mechanical stability in limiting tree height and focus on trees from the tallest tropical forests on Earth, in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, inc...