Developing the next generation of forest ecosystem models

Forest ecology and management are model-rich areas for research. Models are often cast as either empirical or mechanistic. With evolving climate change, hybrid models gain new relevance because of their ability to integrate existing mechanistic knowledge with empiricism based on causal thinking. The utility of hybrid platforms results in the combination of mensurational and physiological outputs and model routines. We present model precepts for constructing a hybrid model able to accommodate climate change and schematic examples of hybrid submodules for biomass to dimension conversion, light interception, photosynthesis, and soil water.