The aim of the LIDL project is to study liana-tree interactions at the Nouragues research station. The main objective is to better understand current dynamics of lianas in relation to forest C stocks.
 
We shall map liana coverage at very fine resolution over 10 ha of forest canopy showing a gradient of liana infestation, L strip of "Grand Plateau". This will be achieved by combining ground-based observation and ultra-high resolution RGB imagery from UAV (drone). This data will serve to calibrate airborne hyperspectral imagery collected in 2016 and again in 2023 which will in turn be used to map liana coverage change during those 7 years. Maps of liana occupancy and liana expansion/regression will be confronted to airborne lidar data to explore the impact of liana on canopy dynamics and above ground C fluxes.
 
Field data collection at the core of this project will provide the necessary data that will allow scaling-up from a few ha to 25 km2 (site scale). Field data consists in assigning crown occupancy indices by lianas to individual trees but also aims at improving the botanical identification of trees in the site (currently 60% of the trees lack species level determination, and 30% lack genus level determination). This tree botanical identification effort will allow building species specific allometries thereby improving plot level and landscape level Above Ground Biomass estimates.