Fractal forest modelling
Not long ago I watched a Nova episode about fractals, titled "Hunting the Hidden Dimension". The part of the show that I found most fascinating was the use of ratios to calculate the tree density in a forest by looking at just one tree. It turns out that, at least in the study highlighted by this program, the ratio of limb sizes on a single tree strongly mirrored the ratio of tree sizes in any given section of the forest in which the tree was taken.I find this quite fascinating, and since then have wondered if this ratio would hold at a smaller level. Specifically, would the ratio of the vein lengths on the leaf correlate with the ratio of limb lengths on the tree and, thus, the tree sizes in the forest?
