Evaluation of stem rot in 339 Bornean tree species: implications of size, taxonomy, and soil-related variation for aboveground biomass estimates

Heineman, Katherine D.; Russo, Sabrina E.; Baillie, Ian; Mamit, J. D.; Chai, Peng; Chai, Lian-Kuet; Hindley, E. W.; Lau, Brian; Tan, Sylvester; Ashton, Peter S.

doi:10.5194/bg-12-5735-2015

Cited by 20 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 88 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These factors vary not just by size but by species and location (see, e.g. Heineman et al 2015). Most larger stems can be substantially affected by rot in some locations (Whitford 2002).…”

Section: S C a R C E S T E M S A N D E P H E M E R A L P R O C E S S E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Does biomass growth increase in the largest trees? Flaws, fallacies and alternative analyses

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary1. The long-standing view that biomass growth in trees typically follows a rise-and-fall unimodal pattern has been challenged by studies concluding that biomass growth increases with size even among the largest stems in both closed forests and in open competition-free environments. We highlight challenges and pitfalls that influence such interpretations. 2. The ability to observe and calibrate biomass change in large stems requires adequate data regarding these specific stems. 3. Data checking and control procedures can bias estimates of biomass growth and generate false increases with stem size. 4. It is important to distinguish aggregate and individual-level trends: a failure to do so results in flawed interpretations. 5. Our assessment of biomass growth in 706 tropical forest stems indicates that individual biomass growth patterns often plateau for extended periods, with no significant difference in the number of stems indicating positive and negative trends in all but one of the 14 species. Nonetheless, when comparing aggregate growth during the most recent five years, 13 out of our 14 species indicate that biomass growth increases with size even among the largest sizes. Thus, individual and aggregate patterns of biomass growth with size are distinct. 6. Claims concerning general biomass growth patterns for large trees remain unconvincing. We suggest how future studies can improve our knowledge of growth patterns in and among large trees.

show abstract

“…These factors vary not just by size but by species and location (see, e.g. Heineman et al 2015). Most larger stems can be substantially affected by rot in some locations (Whitford 2002).…”

Section: S C a R C E S T E M S A N D E P H E M E R A L P R O C E S S E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Does biomass growth increase in the largest trees? Flaws, fallacies and alternative analyses

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Allometric equations for estimating carbon stocks have typically been developed from wellformed, presumably non-decaying, trees (Behre et al 1926), and assume that they are applied to similarly non-decaying trees (Nogueira et al 2008, Matsuzaki et al 2013; given the prevalence of internal stem decay (Brazee et al 2011, Barrette et al 2013, these assumptions likely lead to an overestimation of tree biomass and carbon. Internal stem decay, a naturally occurring process common to all forests, can be substantial (Heineman et al 2015, Hietala et al 2015, and most prevalent in the lower boles of older trees, given that the likelihood of internal decay increases with tree size. Heterotrophic respiration associated with internal decay represents a critically important countervailing force to carbon sequestration, resulting in the release back into the atmosphere of large amounts of sequestered carbon in the form of both CO 2 and methane (Covey et al 2012, Hietala et al 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The United States Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis program accounts for biomass lost to decay based on symptoms (Domke et al 2012) and visual assessments, which may not be accurate: many trees with no visible outward symptoms harbor internal decay (Zillgitt andGevorkiantz 1948, Wagener andDavidson 1954); and because most cankering fungi do not decay wood, trees with significant outward symptoms of damage may have perfectly sound wood. Given the absence of data and the challenges of identifying and quantifying internal decay non-destructively (Brazee et al 2011, Heineman et al 2015, Frank et al 2018, Orozco-Aguilar et al 2018, current biometric studies likely over-estimate net C sequestration as well as C stocks in mature trees (Stephenson et al 2014) and mature stands (Luyssaert et al 2008). Further, the absence of quantitative data on internal decay may contribute to the discrepancies found at times between estimates of forest productivity based on biometrics and those based on eddy-covariance methods (e.g., Curtis et al 2002, Wang et al 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating carbon loss due to internal decay in living trees using tomography: implications for forest carbon budgets

Marra

Brazee

Fraver

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The world's forests sequester and store vast amounts of atmospheric carbon, playing a crucial role in climate change mitigation. Internal stem decay in living trees results in the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere, constituting an important, but poorly understood, countervailing force to carbon sequestration. The contribution of internal decay to estimates of forest carbon stocks, though likely significant, has yet to be quantified, given that an accurate method for the non-destructive quantification of internal decay has been lacking. To that end, we present here a novel and potentially transformative methodology, using sonic and electrical resistance tomography, for non-destructively quantifying the mass of stored carbon lost to internal decay in the boles of living trees. The methodology was developed using 72 northern hardwood trees (Fagus grandifolia, Acer saccharum and Betula alleghaniensis) from a late-successional forest in northwestern Connecticut, USA. Using 105 stem disks corresponding to tomographic scans and excised from 39 of the study's trees, we demonstrate the accuracy with which tomography predicts the incidence and severity of internal decay and distinguishes active decay from cavities. Carbon mass fractions and densities, measured and calculated from 508 stem disk wood samples corresponding to density categories, as predicted by sonic tomography, were used with stem disk volumes to generate indirect estimates of stem disk carbon mass accounting for decay, C SD , or assuming no decay, C ND ; these indirect estimates were compared with direct estimates calculated using stem disk mass, C mass , and carbon mass fraction data. A comparison of three linear regression models with C mass as the response variable and C SD or C ND as the predictor variable (C C , mass SD

show abstract

“…Internal decay is a major source of mortality for mature trees because trees structurally weakened by heart rot and butt rot are more susceptible to snapping and falling in heavy winds or precipitation (Putz et al, 1983; Worrall and Harrington, 1988; Shaw et al, 2004). Such internal decay is difficult to detect, but nevertheless threatens property and people in urban forests (Terho and Hallaksela, 2008), causes loss of timber in the forest industry (Donnelly and Davison, 2008), and is a poorly understood fraction of biomass and the global pool of stored carbon (Heineman et al, 2015). Foresters, arborists, physiologists, plant pathologists, and ecologists have long sought reliable, portable, noninvasive methods to detect, measure, and visualize internal decay in living trees (Johnstone et al, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heart rot is often determined forensically after cutting down trees (Heineman et al, 2015), but understanding the dynamics and the impact of wood decay on tree growth and survival requires minimally invasive measures that do not damage the trees. Constant‐feed drills have been used to detect internal decay by measuring the drilling resistance as the bit passes through wood of different density (Seaby, 1991; Bethge et al, 1996; Costello and Quarles, 1999; Johnstone et al, 2007, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Premise of the study:Field methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes.Methods and Results:Living trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness.Conclusions:Sonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees.

show abstract

Evaluation of stem rot in 339 Bornean tree species: implications of size, taxonomy, and soil-related variation for aboveground biomass estimates

Cited by 20 publications

References 88 publications

Does biomass growth increase in the largest trees? Flaws, fallacies and alternative analyses

Does biomass growth increase in the largest trees? Flaws, fallacies and alternative analyses

Estimating carbon loss due to internal decay in living trees using tomography: implications for forest carbon budgets

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About