Is ring width a reliable proxy for stem-biomass increment? A case study in European beech

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 2920-2933 ◽  
Author(s):  
O Bouriaud ◽  
N Bréda ◽  
J -L Dupouey ◽  
A Granier
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Stem Biomass ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Northeastern France

The relationship between basal-area increment and stem-volume increment or biomass annual production was investigated in 30 dominant European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in northeastern France. The trees were sampled at four heights along the stem for dendrochronological and densitometric measurements. Annual stem-volume and stem-biomass increments were computed from the measurements and were not obtained by applying allometric relationships. A comparison of the ring-area increments at the four stem heights indicated that the vertical distribution of annual growth fluctuates at an interannual time step and is influenced by climate during the growing season, particularly drought events. Ring-area increments were more strongly reduced at breast height than in the upper parts of the tree during dry years. Relationships between basal-area increment and volume or annual biomass production were very strong, but the residuals of these relationhips contained up to 50% climate information. The amplitude of the breast-height radial-growth response to drought is much larger than the volume and biomass-production responses. Variations of wood density in this diffuse-porous species are not large enough to consistently modify the estimates of annual stem biomass production. Breast-height series are a valuable tool for dendrochronological investigations, but as they are more sensitive to drought, they greatly underestimate tree biomass increments during drought episodes.

scholarly journals Zuwachs und Klimasensitivität von Baumarten im Ökogramm der kollinen und submontanen Stufe

2015 ◽  
Vol 166 (6) ◽  
pp. 380-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Weber ◽  
Caroline Heiri ◽  
Mathieu Lévesque ◽  
Tanja Sanders ◽  
Volodymyr Trotsiuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Climate Sensitivity ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Mean Sensitivity

Growth potential and climate sensitivity of tree species in the ecogram for the colline and submontane zone In forestry practice a large amount of empirical knowledge exists about the productivity of individual tree species in relation to site properties. However, so far, only few scientific studies have investigated the influence of soil properties on the growth potential of various tree species along gradients of soil water as well as nutrient availability. Thus, there is a research gap to estimate the productivity and climate sensitivity of tree species under climate change, especially regarding productive sites and forest ad-mixtures in the lower elevations. Using what we call a «growth ecogram», we demonstrate species- and site-specific patterns of mean annual basal area increment and mean sensitivity of ring width (strength of year-to-year variation) for Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp., Fraxinus excelsior, Picea abies, Abies alba and Pinus sylvestris, based on tree-ring data from 508 (co-)dominant trees on 27 locations. For beech, annual basal area increment ( average 1957–2006) was significantly correlated with tree height of the dominant sampling trees and proved itself as a possible alternative for assessing site quality. The fact that dominant trees of the different tree species showed partly similar growth potential within the same ecotype indicates comparable growth limitation by site conditions. Mean sensitivity of ring width – a measure of climate sensitivity – had decreased for oak and ash, while it had increased in pine. Beech showed diverging reactions with increasing sensitivity at productive sites (as measured by the C:N ratio of the topsoil), suggesting an increasing limitation by climate at these sites. Hence, we derive an important role of soil properties in the response of forests to climate change at lower elevations, which should be taken into account when estimating future forest productivity.

Response of Nine-Year-Old Plantation Sweetgum to Nitrogen Fertilization in Mississippi

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-150
Author(s):  
L. E. Nelson ◽  
G. L. Switzer
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Maximum Growth ◽  
Liquidambar Styraciflua ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Seed Sources ◽  
N Rates

Abstract Nine-year-old planted sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) consisting of four half-sib seed sources were refertilized with nitrogen in 1981 at the beginning of the tenth field-growing season. Increases in periodic annual height, diameter at breast height, basal area, stem volume (ob),and woody biomass increments of all four half-sib seed sources from applied nitrogen were observed during the 9 years following application. Periodic annual stem volume (ob) increments averaged over all half-sib seed sources were 120, 152, 192, and 266 ft³/ac/yr for the 0, 89, 178, and356 lb/ac N rates, respectively. The half-sib seed sources from alluvial sites were superior to those from upland sites in terms of productivity and response to N. The response of all half-sibs to N was immediate, occurring during the year of application; however, the increased growth ratesdue to N persisted for only 3 years. This suggests that on responsive sites, applications of N may be necessary every fourth year to maintain maximum growth rates. South. J. Appl. For. 16(3):146-150.

scholarly journals Analysis of basal area increment of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. at different altitudes and aspects on Jocotitlán Mountain, State of Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Angélica Núñez-García ◽  
◽  
Armando Gómez-Guerrero ◽  
Teresa M. Terrazas-Salgado ◽  
J. Jesús Vargas-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Growth Ring ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Tree Ring Width ◽  
Pinus Hartwegii ◽  
Different Altitudes

Introduction: Basal area increment (BAI) is an indicator of forest productivity that varies with tree age and site factors such as soil and climate. Objective: To generate tree-ring width index (RWI) and BAI chronologies of Pinus hartwegii Lindl., relate them to climatic variables, and study the variation in BAI at different altitudes and aspects. Materials and methods: Four observation sites were identified, combining northwest (NW) and southwest (SW) aspects, as well as altitudes of 3 800 and 3 700 m. At each site, the temperature was recorded every four hours for 435 days and 32 growth ring segments were collected using a Pressler´s increment borer. Tree-ring width was measured and BAI was calculated; the correlation index between these indicators and the climatic variables was Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results and discussion: The RWI series from the four observation sites had an intercorrelation of 0.33 (P < 0.01). Two low-growth periods were detected, one between 1950 and 1960 and the other between 1990 and 2005. Site SO-3700 had a different growth pattern, due to a second growth phase beginning in 1978, possibly a benefit resulting from increased temperature. The previous autumn temperature, spring temperature and April-September precipitation of the current year explained the variation in BAI (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The BAI of P. hartwegii could respond favorably to the predicted increases in temperature at an altitude of 3 700 m with southwest aspect.

scholarly journals Competition Indices and Their Relationship With Basal Area Increment of Araucaria

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Arnoni Costa ◽  
César Augusto Guimarães Finger ◽  
André Felipe Hess
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Multivariate Technique ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Mathematical Equations ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Competition Indices

Models that report the effect of competition are important for forest management since forests with higher levels of competition have lower increment rates, and their use is necessary to plan forest interventions. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of competition in the basal area increment of individual trees of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze in a natural forest. A total of 397 subject trees were measured, covering the diametric range. The dendrometric and morphometric characteristics of subject trees and their competitors were obtained, and 22 distance-dependent and distance-independent competition indices were calculated, in addition to increment cores extracted radially from the trunk at diameter at breast height. The relationship between models of periodic annual increment in basal area based on competition indices has allowed to obtain R2 values of 0.425 and Syx% ≥ 50.2. The multivariate technique of principal component analysis has shown that three principal components explain 78.43% of total variation. The first component was responsible for explaining 52.95%, with similar eigenvector for 11 competition indices, evidencing that these models can be used to describe especies competition, although they show different variables and mathematical equations in calculations. Results show the importance of competition to predict increment of Araucaria in individual trees.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Variation of Ring Width, Wood Density and Basal Area Increment in 26-Year-Old Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Trees

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukui Yu ◽  
Xiangrong Cheng ◽  
Zhenxiang He ◽  
Tonggui Wu ◽  
Zengfang Yin
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Longitudinal Variation

scholarly journals An individual-tree linear mixed-effects model for predicting the basal area increment of major forest species in Southern Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. e019
Author(s):  
Lucio Di Cosmo ◽  
Diego Giuliani ◽  
Maria Michela Dickson ◽  
Patrizia Gasparini
Keyword(s):  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Diameter At Breast Height ◽  
Breast Height

Aims of the study. Assessment of growth is essential to support sustainability of forest management and forest policies. The objective of the study was to develop a species-specific model to predict the annual increment of tree basal area through variables recorded by forest surveys, to assess forest growth directly or in the context of more complex forest growth and yield simulation models.Area of the study. Italy.Material and methods. Data on 34638 trees of 31 different forest species collected in 5162 plots of the Italian National Forest Inventory were used; the data were recorded between 2004 and 2006. To account for the hierarchical structure of the data due to trees nested within plots, a two-level mixed-effects modelling approach was used.Main results. The final result is an individual-tree linear mixed-effects model with species as dummy variables. Tree size is the main predictor, but the model also integrates geographical and topographic predictors and includes competition. The model fitting is good (McFadden’s Pseudo-R2 0.536), and the variance of the random effect at the plot level is significant (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.512). Compared to the ordinary least squares regression, the mixed-effects model allowed reducing the mean absolute error of estimates in the plots by 64.5% in average.Research highlights. A single tree-level model for predicting the basal area increment of different species was developed using forest inventory data. The data used for the modelling cover 31 species and a great variety of growing conditions, and the model seems suitable to be applied in the wider context of Southern Europe.   Keywords: Tree growth; forest growth modelling; forest inventory; hierarchical data structure; Italy.Abbreviations used: BA - basal area; BAI – five-year periodic basal area increment; BALT - basal area of trees larger than the subject tree; BASPratio - ratio of subject tree species basal area to stand basal area; BASTratio - ratio of subject tree basal area to stand basal area; CRATIO - crown ratio; DBH – diameter at breast height ; DBH0– diameter at breast height corresponding to five years before the survey year; DBHt– diameter at breast height measured in the survey year; DI5 - five-year, inside bark, DBH increment; HDOM - dominant height; LULUCF - Land Use, Land Use Changes and Forestry; ME - mean error; MAE - mean absolute error; MPD - mean percent deviation; MPSE - mean percent standard error; NFI(s) - National Forest Inventory/ies; OLS - ordinary least squares regression; RMSE - root mean squared error; UNFCCC - United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.

scholarly journals Wedge prism as a tool for diameter and distance measurement

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 121-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Šálek ◽  
D. Zahradník
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Distance Measurement ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Diameter At Breast Height ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Standing Trees ◽  
Wedge Prism ◽  
Non Destructive

The wedge prism, which is generally used for the measurement of basal area in diameter at breast height, is also a tool for the measurement of distance as well as for the measurement of diameters at a certain height of the stem, in the upper stem. Measurements using the wedge prism are based on the same principle as measurements using Bitterlich mirror relascope. This method is appropriate for non-destructive determination of stem volume. Moreover, the wedge prism can be used for the sorting of logs in standing trees when the small end of expectant assortment has to be known. As the wedge prism is a common tool for foresters, its usage seems to be larger than only the measurement of basal area.

Phenotypic selection in Betulapapyrifera

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1159-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Stanton ◽  
David S. Canavera
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Basal Area Increment ◽  
Selection Methods ◽  
The Third ◽  
Greenhouse Trial ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
And Control

Phenotypically superior trees of Betulapapyrifera Marsh, were identified on the basis of their breast height stem diameters in two even-aged stands in western Maine. The growth superiority of each of the candidate trees was evaluated further using one of three different selection methods. Two methods were based on mean annual volume increment and differed in regard to their use of comparison trees. Selected trees were those which grew the most volume throughout the life of the stand. In the third procedure, periodic basal area increment was compared with the estimated basal area increment using an equation incorporating crown surface area as an independent variable. Trees rated as most superior were those which produced the largest increment in relation to crown size. Open-pollinated progenies of selected and control trees were evaluated for height growth and stem diameter in a greenhouse trial. Although significant differences in height existed among the selection methods, no one method was successful in identifying trees whose progenies, as a group, were significantly taller than the average of the control progenies.

Leaf area – sapwood area relationships in adjacent young Douglas-fir stands with different early growth rates

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Espinosa Bancalari ◽  
D. A. Perry ◽  
John D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Sapwood Area ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Pipe Model ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between foliage area and sapwood basal area was studied in three adjacent 22-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands that differed in early growth rates. Sapwood width was fairly constant for most of the stem above the stump, but the number of annual rings in the sapwood decreased gradually with height. Sapwood area also decreased with increasing height in the tree, the stands differing significantly only at breast height. The proportion of heartwood from stump to near the base of the crown was significantly higher for the stand of fastest early growth. Ratios of leaf area to sapwood area were significantly higher for that stand and varied in every stem section, the ratio lower at breast height than at the base of the live crown. At the base of the crown, the ratio of leaf area to sapwood area was 1.33 and 1.57 times greater in the fast-growing stand than in the intermediate- and slow-growing stands, respectively. Leaf area was as closely related to dbh as to sapwood area at breast height. Sapwood area at the crown base was more accurate than sapwood area at breast height for predicting leaf area in the fast stand and was equally accurate in the other two stands. Ratios of leaf area to sapwood area correlated positively with sapwood ring width. However, because sapwood ring width also correlated closely with sapwood area, it did not improve predictive equations. The results suggest that the "pipe model" theory must be modified to account for the internal structure of the "pipe" and that caution should be exercised when using published leaf area to sapwood area ratios.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document