Species-specific and generic biomass equations for seedlings and saplings of European tree species

Abstract

Biomass equations are a helpful tool to estimate the tree and stand biomass production and standing stock. Such estimations are of great interest for science but also of great importance for global reports on the carbon cycle and the global climate system. Even though there are various collections and generic meta-analyses available with biomass equations for mature trees, reports on biomass equations for juvenile trees (seedlings and saplings) are mainly missing. Against the background of an increasing amount of reforestation and afforestation projects and forests in young successional stages, such equations are required. In this study we have collected data from various studies on the aboveground woody biomass of 19 common tree species growing in Europe. The aim of this paper was to calculate species-specific biomass equations for the aboveground woody biomass of single trees in dependence of root-collar-diameter (RCD), height (H) and the combination of the two (RCD2 H). Next to calculating species-specific biomass equations for the species available in the dataset, we also calculated generic biomass equations for all broadleaved species and all conifer species. The biomass equations should be a contribution to the pool of published biomass equations, whereas the novelty is here that the equations were exclusively derived for young trees

Biological Flora of the British Isles: Quercus rubra

“…Dendrochronological studies revealed mean radial increments of 1.27 and 1.59 mm/year, according to two chronologies from western Poland (Cedro & Nowak, 2015). In Europe, biomass of Q. rubra is assessed using allometric models and biomass expansion factors developed for Q. robur (Forrester et al, 2017; Teobaldelli, Somogyi, Migliavacca, & Usoltsev, 2009), with the exception of young trees, where biomass may be estimated from root collar diameter (Annighöfer et al, 2016; Dyderski & Jagodziński, 2018a; Jagodziński, Dyderski, et al, 2018). In the United States, models for biomass and volume calculations were provided by Gower, Reich, and Son (1993) and Martin, Kloeppel, Schaefer, Kimbler, and McNulty (1998).…”

Allometric Models to Predict Aboveground Woody Biomass of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in Short Rotation Coppice in Previous Mining and Agricultural Areas in Germany

“…All regressions were undertaken using natural logarithmic transformation (Equation (4)) of the tree dimensions, in line with previous work done by Pretzsch et al [56], Böhm et al [20], Annighöfer et al [34,42], and Stankova et al [35]:…”

“…Compared to our equation, the differences at RCD 10 cm were 15.0 kg per tree which probably reflects the different stature of trees under differing stand densities. The study by Annighöfer et al [42] analyzed seedlings of 19 tree species, including Robinia pseudoacacia L. (n = 238). Compared to our study, there is a difference of 1.3 kg per tree for a RCD of 3.0 cm.…”

“…However, it seems possible that a higher nutrient load in former agricultural sites may affect the relatively stronger vertical growth. [42], and Böhm et al [20]. The dashed line illustrates the maximum RCD, which was incorporated into the biomass equations.…”

“…In general, taller and faster growing sprouts likely get more of the resources than shorter, shaded, and slower growing sprouts. All in all, in consideration of certain parts of the shoot and certain parts of the root system, more vigorous sprouts likely provide more carbohydrates to the roots that provide them water and nutrients, creating a positive feedback that allows the larger sprouts to obtain a larger part of the [42], and Böhm et al [20]. The dashed line illustrates the maximum RCD, which was incorporated into the biomass equations.…”