Abstract
Forest diversity assessments are typically conducted at stand scale. This traditional diversity assessment may provide substantial insight into overall stand structure but is limited with respect to describing within-stand variation, an important aspect of stand diversity. This article describes a method for assessing species and structural diversity at within-stand, neighbourhood scale. •Nearest neighbours are determined from mapped tree locations in field survey plots.•R codes (provided in appendices) are used to assist with determining species and structural diversity indices at a neighbourhood of 4 trees (a subject tree and the 3 nearest neighbours).•Neighbourhood structural diversity indices are compared against structural complexity index (SCI) in capturing within-stand variation.•Neighbourhood diversity indices, especially in managed stands, are useful for capturing spatial variation in species and structural diversity.