Cover Picture and Issue Information

Rope‐based canopy access is the key to unlocking the ecology of the upper reaches of the forest because it is relatively inexpensive and provides replicated sampling of canopy organisms, structures, and spaces. It can also be dangerous, especially when methods and equipment not specified for tree climbing are used. To improve safety and aid climbers, the authors of ‘Review of rope‐based access methods for forest canopy', set out to create a user's guide to 40 years of published literature on canopy access methods. They critique written descriptions of safe and unsafe climbing practices and list the climbing methods contained in every source. The cover image shows two climbers ascending a 91‐m Douglas‐fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) in western Oregon, U.S.A. The subject tree in the photograph is adjacent to the world's tallest Douglas‐fir which was climbed via ropes and measured to be 99.6 meters in height. Due to the scale in size, height and breadth of tree crowns, rope‐based access is often required to measure accurately the dimensions of the tree and is likewise used for ecological studies on pollination; gas exchange; tree growth; fruit dispersal; diversity of epiphytes, invertebrates, and vertebrates; the atmosphere/biosphere interface; herbivory; ecosystem services; and climate change. Photo credit for this picture © Paul Colangelo