Estimating stand-scale biomass, nutrient contents, and associated uncertainties for tree species of Canadian forests

The growing demand for bioenergy feedstock from forest harvest residues is generating concerns about the potential loss of site productivity through nutrient removal. We used tree-level national biomass equations and a national database of forest plots to develop stand-level biomass equations for the different tree components of 30 major forest tree species found in Canada using basal area as the independent variable. We have also compiled more than 12 800 nutrient concentration values for different components of Canadian tree species from existing databases and the literature. Uncertainties were propagated across biomass equations and through conversion of nutrient concentrations to nutrient contents. Most of the uncertainty in nutrient contents estimates was found to be among the nutrient concentration measurements. The greatest levels of uncertainty were for estimates of phosphorus in woody components and of calcium in foliage. Grouping species into genera gave only a minor loss of precision. The coupling of biomass equations and nutrient concentration data can be used to provide first-order estimates of biomass and nutrients exported by tree component and species when harvesting any commercial stand in Canada. However, the associated uncertainties are important enough to warrant their inclusion in decision making. Resume : La demande croissante pour les residus de coupe ades fins de bioenergie genere des preoccupations de perte de productivite suite al'exportation d'elements nutritifs. Nous avons developpe des equations allometriques de biomasse al'echelle du peuplement pour 30 especes d'arbre dominantes de la foret canadienne utilisant la surface terriere comme variable indepen- dante, apartir d'equations nationales de biomasse al'echelle de l'arbre et de l'information provenant d'un inventaire national de parcelles forestieres. Nous avons aussi compile plus de 12 800 valeurs de concentrations de nutriments pour diverses com- posantes d'arbre et d'especes qui provenaient de bases de donnees existantes et de la litterature. L'incertitude a ete propagee dans les equations allometriques et au travers de la transformation des concentrations de nutriments en contenus. La plupart des incertitudes se retrouvent au niveau des mesures de concentrations de nutriments. Ce sont les estimes du phosphore dans les compartiments ligneux ainsi que ceux du calcium dans le feuillage qui sont les plus incertains. Le regroupement des especes par genre n'a genere qu'une faible perte de precision. Le couplage des equations de biomasse et des mesures de concentrations en nutriments permet d'estimer les quantites de biomasse et de nutriments par composante d'arbre et par espece exportees des peuplements commerciaux lors de leur recolte. Cependant, l'incertitude sur ces estimes est suffisamment importante pour necessiter sa prise en compte pour les prises de decision.

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