Abstract
The crown‐association sampling method was developed to examine horizontal and vertical spatial associations in forest tree communities. We sampled tree crowns along line transects and recorded the lateral contact of neighboring crowns within the canopy and the vertical overlap of crowns between the understory and the canopy. Deviations from random association can be examined for lateral and vertical associations. It is also possible to compare the results for vertical overlap among study sites. Three natural mixed forests were sampled: a warm‐temperate rainforest on Yakushima Island (southern Japan), and two cool‐temperate mixed forests in Ohdaigahara (central Japan) and on the Shiretoko Peninsula (northern Japan).
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