Canopy development and productivity are the results of dynamic interactions between a plant's physiology and morphology and the environment.  As a canopy grows its developing structure causes changes in microclimate which in turn affect the physiology of the plant and new growth.   We research the causes of these changes in different types of canopies and how they affect productivity and longevity.   Canopies produce spatially complex structures and we conduct biometric research that enables us to describe and model them.   An essential component of our work is development of simulation models and we investigate how these models can be assessed effectively.