Generalized biomass equations for the main aboveground biomass components of maritime pine across contrasting environments

Abstract• IntroductionIn order to predict the biomass of aerial components of maritime pine stands (Pinus pinaster Ait.), generalized allometric equations were developed using data collected from the southern and northern margins of its geographical area.• MethodsThe data comprised biomass values divided into foliage, branch, stem and minor components collected from 26 trees in Tunisia and 152 trees in France. Some trees were taken from plots receiving fertilisation and irrigation. The equation W = aDb, where W is the biomass, D the stem diameter and a and b are fitted parameters, explained 98% of the variations in the total aerial biomass. The addition of tree age reduced significantly the residual sum of squares for the foliage component. This model explains 79% of the variations in foliage biomass observed.• ResultsTo a lesser extent, the age variable also improved the stem and branch models that explain 98% and 71% of the observed sum of squares, respectively. Site variables such as the stocking density, stand basal area, fertilisation or annual precipitation did not reduce the residual sum of squares, suggesting that their putative effects are conveyed through tree growth rate.

[1]  Laurent Saint-André,et al.  Age-related equations for above- and below-ground biomass of a Eucalyptus hybrid in Congo , 2005 .

[2]  Karin S. Fassnacht,et al.  Influence of fertilization on the allometric relations for two pines in contrasting environments , 1993 .

[3]  J. Ranger,et al.  Biomasses et croissance du pin maritime. Étude de la variabilité dans un peuplement de 16 ans , 1986 .

[4]  G. Nabuurs,et al.  LUCF sector good practice guidance , 2003 .

[5]  J. Álvarez-González,et al.  Temporal variations and distribution of carbon stocks in aboveground biomass of radiata pine and maritime pine pure stands under different silvicultural alternatives , 2006 .

[6]  A. P. Isaev,et al.  Size–mass allometry and biomass allocation of two larch species growing on the continuous permafrost region in Siberia , 2006 .

[7]  P. Kaitaniemi,et al.  Precision of allometric scaling equations for trees can be improved by including the effect of ecological interactions , 2008, Trees.

[8]  Margarida Tomé,et al.  Effect of tree, stand, and site variables on the allometry of Eucalyptus globulus tree biomass , 2007 .

[9]  Petteri Vanninen,et al.  Impacts of size and competition on tree form and distribution of aboveground biomass in Scots pine , 1998 .

[10]  F. Wagner,et al.  Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry , 2003 .

[11]  M. Lukac,et al.  Biomass functions and expansion factors in young Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) trees , 2008 .

[12]  E. Cienciala,et al.  Biomass functions applicable to Scots pine , 2006, Trees.

[13]  M. Coleman,et al.  Forest production responses to irrigation and fertilization are not explained by shifts in allocation , 2005 .

[14]  F. Danjon,et al.  Carbon concentration variations in the roots, stem and crown of mature Pinus pinaster (Ait.) , 2006 .

[15]  Chuankuan Wang,et al.  Biomass allometric equations for 10 co-occurring tree species in Chinese temperate forests , 2006 .

[16]  P. Ritson,et al.  Measurement and prediction of biomass and carbon content of Pinus pinaster trees in farm forestry plantations, south-western Australia , 2003 .

[17]  J. Dhôte,et al.  Development of total aboveground volume equations for seven important forest tree species in France , 2006 .

[18]  W. Schlesinger,et al.  Biomass Allocation of Montane and Desert Ponderosa Pine: An Analog for Response to Climate Change , 1994 .

[19]  Matthias Peichl,et al.  Allometry and partitioning of above- and belowground tree biomass in an age-sequence of white pine forests , 2007 .

[20]  B. Enquist.  Universal scaling in tree and vascular plant allometry: toward a general quantitative theory linking plant form and function from cells to ecosystems. , 2002, Tree physiology.

[21]  D. F. Grigal,et al.  GENERALIZED BIOMASS ESTIMATION EQUATIONS FOR , 1978 .

[22]  Ben Bond-Lamberty,et al.  Aboveground and belowground biomass and sapwood area allometric equations for six boreal tree species of northern Manitoba , 2002 .

[23]  T. Crow,et al.  Alternative models for estimating woody plant biomass. , 1980 .

[24]  P. Muukkonen,et al.  Generalized allometric volume and biomass equations for some tree species in Europe , 2007, European Journal of Forest Research.

[25]  Denis Loustau,et al.  Estimating the foliage area of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aït.) branches and crowns with application to modelling the foliage area distribution in the crown. , 2000 .

[26]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Aboveground biomass relationships for beech (Fagus moesiaca Cz.) trees in Vermio Mountain, Northern Greece, and generalised equations for Fagus sp. , 2003 .

[27]  Raisa Mäkipää,et al.  Biomass and stem volume equations for tree species in Europe , 2005, Silva Fennica Monographs.

[28]  R. Dewar,et al.  Hydraulic responses to height growth in maritime pine trees , 2004 .

[29]  D. Levia.  A generalized allometric equation to predict foliar dry weight on the basis of trunk diameter for eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) , 2008 .

[30]  K. Pregitzer,et al.  Biomass partitioning in red pine (Pinus resinosa) along a chronosequence in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan , 2007 .

[31]  V. Clark Baldwin,et al.  Equations for estimating loblolly pine branch and foliage weight and surface area distributions , 1997 .

[32]  P. Wężyk,et al.  Allometric equations for estimating the foliage biomass of Scots pine , 2007, European Journal of Forest Research.

[33]  Hanns-Christof Spatz,et al.  Growth and hydraulic (not mechanical) constraints govern the scaling of tree height and mass. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[34]  S. Linder,et al.  Manipulating nutrient and water availability in a maritime pine plantation: effects on growth, production, and biomass allocation at canopy closure , 2008, Annals of Forest Science.

[35]  F. Raulier,et al.  Canadian national tree aboveground biomass equations , 2005 .

[36]  John Pastor,et al.  Biomass prediction using generalized allometric regressions for some northeast tree species , 1984 .

[37]  M. Andrés-Abellán,et al.  Site and weather effects in allometries: A simple approach to climate change effect on pines , 2005 .

[38]  B. Parresol.  Assessing Tree and Stand Biomass: A Review with Examples and Critical Comparisons , 1999, Forest Science.

[39]  R. R. Soalleiro,et al.  Nutrient exports under different harvesting regimes in fast-growing forest plantations in southern Europe , 2005 .

[40]  Didier Bert,et al.  Allometric relationships for branch and tree woody biomass of Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aı̈t.) , 2002 .

[41]  G. Wang,et al.  Changes in forest biomass carbon storage in the South Carolina Piedmont between 1936 and 2005 , 2008 .

[42]  M. Ter-Mikaelian,et al.  Biomass equations for sixty-five North American tree species , 1997 .

[43]  Bernard R. Parresol,et al.  Additivity of nonlinear biomass equations , 2001 .