Allometric equations to estimate above-ground biomass of small-diameter mixed tree species in secondary tropical forests

doi:10.3832/ifor3167-013

Allometric equations to estimate above-ground biomass of small-diameter mixed tree species in secondary tropical forests

Ramiro Puc-Kauil⁽¹⁾, Gregorio Ángeles-Pérez⁽¹⁾ , José René Valdéz-Lazalde⁽¹⁾, Valentín José Reyes-Hernández⁽¹⁾, Juan Manuel Dupuy-Rada⁽²⁾, Laura Schneider⁽³⁾, Paulino Pérez-Rodríguez⁽¹⁾, Xavier García-Cuevas⁽⁴⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 13, Issue 3, Pages 165-174 (2020)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3167-013
Published: May 02, 2020 - Copyright © 2020 SISEF

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Accounting for small-size tree biomass is critical to improve total stand biomass estimates of secondary tropical forests, and is essential to quantify their vital role in mitigating climate change. However, owing to the scarcity of equations available for small-size trees, their contribution to total biomass is unknown. The objective of this study was to generate allometric equations to estimate total biomass of 22 tree species ≤ 10 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH), in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, by using two methods. First, the additive approach involved the development of biomass equations by tree component (stem, branch and foliage) with simultaneous fit. In the tree-level approach, total tree biomass equations were fit for multi-species and wood density groups. Further, we compared the performance of total tree biomass equations that we generated with multi-species equations of previous studies. Data of total and by tree component biomass were fitted from eight non-linear models as a function of DBH, total height (H) and wood density (ρ). Results showed that two models, identified as model I and II, best fitted our data. Model I has the form AGB = β₀(ρ·DBH²·H)β₁+ ε and model II: AGB = exp(-β₀)(DBH²·H)β₁+ ε, where AGB is biomass (kg). Both models explained between 53% and 95% of the total observed variance in biomass, by tree-structural component and total tree biomass. The variance of total tree biomass explained by fit models related to wood density group was 96%-97%. Compared foreign equations showed between 30% and 45% mean error in total biomass estimation compared to 0.05%-0.36% error showed by equations developed in this study. At the local level, the biomass contribution of small trees based on foreign models was between 24.38 and 29.51 Mg ha^-1, and model I was 35.97 Mg ha^-1. Thus, from 6.5 up to 11.59 Mg ha^-1could be excluded when using foreign equations, which account for about 21.8% of the total stand biomass. Local equations provided more accurate biomass estimates with the inclusion of ρ and H as predictors variables and proved to be better than foreign equations. Therefore, our equations are suitable to improve the accuracy estimates of carbon forest stocks in the secondary forests of the Yucatan peninsula.

Keywords

Species Diversity, Biomass-carbon Stocks, Additive Equations, Simultaneous Fit, Wood Density Groups

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0003-3833-2775
0000-0002-9550-2825
0000-0003-1888-6914
0000-0002-1804-412X
0000-0002-3202-1784
Colegio de Postgraduados, Km. 36.5 Carr. Mexico-Texcoco, Montecillo, Texcoco, C.P. 56230 (México)

(2)

0000-0001-7491-6837
Recursos Naturales, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY), Calle 43 No. 130, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, C.P. 97200, Mérida, Yucatán (México)

(3)

0000-0002-3544-4360
Department of Geography, Rutgers University, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (USA)

(4)

0000-0002-2481-6704
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Chetumal, Km. 25, Carretera Chetumal-Bacalar, C.P. 77930, Xul-ha, Quintana Roo (México)

Corresponding author

Gregorio Ángeles-Pérez
gangeles@colpos.mx

Citation

Puc-Kauil R, Ángeles-Pérez G, Valdéz-Lazalde JR, Reyes-Hernández VJ, Dupuy-Rada JM, Schneider L, Pérez-Rodríguez P, García-Cuevas X (2020). Allometric equations to estimate above-ground biomass of small-diameter mixed tree species in secondary tropical forests. iForest 13: 165-174. - doi: 10.3832/ifor3167-013

Academic Editor

Rodolfo Picchio

Paper history

Received: Jun 12, 2019
Accepted: Feb 13, 2020

First online: May 02, 2020
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2020
Publication Time: 2.63 months

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