Understory roughness governs forest reverberation more than season

Evidence

Season was not found to be a strong influence on the reverberation characteristics of forests at these short propagation distances and low frequencies. The physical structure of the forest, however, had a significant impact on the reverberation times. Forests with an open understory and smoother terrain have shorter decay times than forests with a more chaotic understory and rough terrain. — Donald G. Albert, Michelle E. Swearingen, Frank E. Perron, and David L. Carbee, Low Frequency Acoustic Pulse…, 107

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors architectural acoustics — physical clutter and surface roughness, not temperature or time of year, dominate decay times in both rooms and woods.