Variations in local climate can be used to monitor and compare the effects of different management regimes

M icroclimate is the suite of climatic conditions measured in localized areas near the earth's surface (Geiger 1965). These environmental variables, which include temperature, light, wind speed, and moisture, have been critical throughout human history, providing meaningful indicators for habitat selection and other activities. For example, for 2600 years the Chinese have used localized seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation to schedule their agricultural activities. In seminal studies, Shirley (1929, 1945) emphasized microclimate as a determinant of ecological patterns in both plant and animal communities and a driver of such processes as the growth and mortality of organisms. The importance of microclimate in influencing ecological processes such as plant regeneration and growth, soil respiration, nutrient cycling, and