Biomass and leaf area in contrasting lodgepole pine forests
Bole, branch, foliage, root crown, and lateral root biomass of Pinuscontorta ssp. latifolia (Engelm. ex Wats.) Critchfield forests in southeastern Wyoming were estimated by a combination of aboveground dimension analysis, belowground planar intersect sampling, and soil coring. Total biomass of six stands ≥75 years old ranged from 123 to 180 Mg/ha, and roof:shoot ratios were much higher in two very dense stands than in four more open stands. Average proportions of biomass in boles, branches, foliage, woody roots, and fine roots were 61, 7, 6, 20, and 6%, respectively. Leaf area index ranged from 4.5 to 9.9. Leaf area per unit sapwood area ranged from 0.20 to 0.57 m2/cm2in stands of different densities, ages, and sites. Sapwood area was a more precise predictor of foliage biomass than was basal area for the low to moderate density stands, but was marginally inferior to basal area for two high density stands (>9000 trees/ha).