The competitive environment of the plot is defined by the height, leaf area, and woody biomass of each individual tree determined by allometric relationships with diameter. Plot size is defined by the primary zone of influence of a single canopy-dominant tree. Adjacent cells interact through light interception at low sun angles. Climate effects are summed across simulated months. Seedling establishment, mortality, and regeneration are computed stochastically, while the growth stage is largely deterministic.
Simulations can start or stop at any point within the life cycle of a forest.
References Urban, D.L., 1990. Urban, D.L., G.B. Bonan, T.M. Smith, H.H. Shugart, 1991. Spatial applications of gap models. Urban, D.L., H.H. Shugart, 1992. Individual based models of forest succession.