Improving tree biomass models through crown ratio patterns and incomplete data sources

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Aboveground biomass quantification is essential for determining carbon stocks in forests. Multiple tree biomass models are available, but estimations can be biased outside the fitting range. This is due to the lack of data for larger trees, mainly because of the cost and time required. This study proposed a methodology based on tree crown biomass ratio (crown biomass: total aboveground biomass) modelling. The original data used in the existing biomass models in Spain have been notably extended by the inclusion of stem data from First Spanish National Forest Inventory and other databases, covering better tree size variability. The analysis of the crown biomass ratio against tree size (d2h), allowed us to distinguish three different patterns: an increasing pattern, a constant one, and a decreasing pattern. A new system of biomass models was fitted simultaneously by species, including a model for crown biomass ratio according to the identified pattern, a stem biomass model, and a total aboveground biomass model. Using this methodology, models were fitted for the 29 most important species in Spain. The fitted models result in more accurate and unbiased predictions for stem biomass, and realistic estimations for the crown biomass. This methodology means more robust and flexible biomass estimations with the possibility of using different data sources. The absence of crown information is not an obstacle because this component is a percentage of total aboveground biomass. Moreover, determining the crown biomass ratio pattern allows improving the accuracy of tree biomass estimation beyond the range of tree sizes (2–70 cm) for which these models were fitted.

This research was funded by Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, grant number AGL2017-83828-C2-1-R; Ministry of Agriculture, grant number EG17-042-C02-02; INIA grant number IMP-2018-004-C02-02, and Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 77832 (CARE4C).

Peer reviewed