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Species-specific and general allometric equations for estimating tree biomass components of subtropical forests in southern China

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Abstract

Chinese subtropical forests contain a diversity of tree species and exhibit a high carbon (C) sequestration capacity, but biomass and C stock assessments in subtropical secondary forests remain uncertain because of a limited availability of allometric equations and an uncertain applicability of existing allometric equations that have not been tested for these forests. We developed allometric equations for important coniferous (Pinus massoniana), deciduous broadleaved (Alniphyllum fortunei, Choerospondias axillaris, Liquidambar formosana) and evergreen broadleaved (Cyclobalanopsis glauca, Litsea rotundifolia, Schima superba) species. A total of 70 trees (10 trees for each species) with diameters at breast height (D) ranging from 2.6 to 50.9 cm were destructively harvested and dissected into tree components (stem, branch, leaf and coarse root). Species-specific equations using D alone as the predictor variable fitted the data well (p < 0.0053 and R 2 > 0.72) for each tree component. Including height (H) in the form of D 2 H only improved the regression fit for A. fortunei and L. rotundifolia. The relationships of branch, leaf and root biomass against D varied among tree species. General equations for functional groups and all species combined showed comparable bias for stem, aboveground and total tree biomass to species-specific equations. We recommend the general equations of multiple species to estimate forest biomass at regional scales and also to estimate stem, aboveground and total tree biomass for each species when species-specific allometric equations are not available at a given site. For branch, leaf and root biomass, species-specific equations are preferred, even though this requires biomass data for additional tree species.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Programme of State Forestry Special Fund for Public Welfare Sectors of China (201304317) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570447 and 31170426). The collaboration between the groups of W. Xiang and J. Bauhus was supported by a “Sustainable Partners–Partners for Sustainability” grant of the Robert Bosch foundation (32.5.8003.0114.0). D. Forrester was funded by a Heisenberg Fellowship (FO 791/4-1) from the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). We thank the following postgraduates for their assistance in field investigations: Zhaodan Liu, Yan Li, Renhui Li, Weixian Zeng, Mengmeng Gou, Hui Wei, Xiaoxiao Shen, Fangyong Yu and Xinhao Huang. Thanks also go to the staff of the administration office of Paiyashan Forest State Farm, Jingzhou County, Hunan Province, for their local support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, No. 498 Southern Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China

    Wenhua Xiang, Jing Zhou, Shuai Ouyang, Shengli Zhang, Pifeng Lei, Xiangwen Deng & Xi Fang

  2. Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, 438107, Hunan, China

    Wenhua Xiang, Shuai Ouyang, Pifeng Lei, Xiangwen Deng & Xi Fang

  3. Faculty of Forestry, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China

    Jiaxiang Li

  4. Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg University, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79108, Freiburg, Germany

    David I. Forrester

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  1. Wenhua Xiang
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  2. Jing Zhou
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  3. Shuai Ouyang
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Correspondence to Wenhua Xiang.

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Xiang, W., Zhou, J., Ouyang, S. et al. Species-specific and general allometric equations for estimating tree biomass components of subtropical forests in southern China. Eur J Forest Res 135, 963–979 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-016-0987-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-016-0987-2

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