Logging leaves a fingerprint on the number, size, spatial configuration and geometry of tropical forest canopy gaps

Recent advances in remote sensing such as airborne laser scanning have revolutionized our ability to accurately map forest canopy gaps, with huge implications for tracking forest dynamics at scale. However, few studies have explored how canopy gaps vary among forests at different successional stages following disturbances, such as those caused by logging. Moreover, most studies have focused exclusively on the size distribution of gaps, ignoring other key features such as their spatial distribution and shape. Here, we test a series of hypotheses about how the number, size, spatial configuration, and geometry of gaps vary across a logging disturbance gradient in Malaysian Borneo. As predicted, we found that recently logged forests had much higher gap fraction compared to old‐growth forests, a result of having both a greater total number of gaps and a higher proportion of large gaps. Regrowing forests, on the other hand, fell at the opposite end of the spectrum, being characterized by both fewer and smaller gaps compared to nearby old‐growth forests. Across all successional stages gaps were found to be spatially clustered. However, logging significantly diluted the degree of spatial aggregation and led to the formation of gaps with much more complex geometries. Our results showcase how logging and subsequent regrowth substantially alter not just the number and size of gaps in a forest, but also their spatial arrangement and shape. Linking these emergent patterns to their underlying processes is key to better understanding the impacts of human disturbance on the structure and function of tropical forests. in Malay is available with online material. Kemajuan terkini dalam penderiaan jauh seperti pengimbasan laser bawaan udara telah merevolusikan keupayaan untuk memetakan jurang kanopi hutan dengan tepat, dengan implikasi yang besar untuk menjejaki dinamik hutan secara berskala. Walau bagaimanapun, beberapa kajian telah meneroka bagaimana jurang kanopi berbeza antara hutan pada peringkat penggantian disebabkan oleh gangguan, seperti pembalakan. Selain itu, kebanyakan kajian telah memfokuskan secara eksklusif pada taburan saiz jurang, mengabaikan ciri utama yang lain seperti taburan dan bentuk spatialnya. Di sini kami menguji satu siri hipotesis tentang bagaimana cara, bilangan, saiz, konfigurasi spatial dan geometri jurang berbeza merentasi kecerunan gangguan pembalakan di Borneo Malaysia. Seperti yang diramalkan, kami mendapati bahawa hutan semasa yang dibalak