Thinning decreases above-ground biomass increment in central European beech forests but does not change individual tree resistance to climate events

Allometric equations are presented relating stem circumference to branch, leaf, trunk, bark, total above-ground and lignotuber biomass for Eucalyptus crebra F.Muell. (woodland trees), E. melanophloia Sol. Ex Gaerth. (both woodland and regrowth community trees) and E. populnea F.Muell. (woodland trees). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the slopes of individual lognormal regression lines plotting stem circumference against total above-ground biomass for E. crebra, E. melanophloia and E. populnea. Root-to-shoot ratios and leaf area indices were also determined for the stands contributing to each regression. The regressions were then applied to measured eucalypt stems in the associated plant community to give estimates of each stand’s component (eucalypt tree fraction only) biomass per hectare. These eucalypt regressions were next applied to measured stems of each species on a total of 33 woodland sites in which these eucalypts individually contributed > 75% of total site basal area. Above-ground biomass/basal area relationships averaged 6.74 0.29 t m–2 basal area for 11 E. crebra sites, 5.11 0.28 t m–2 for 12 E. melanophloia sites and 5.81 0.11 t m–2 for 10 E. populnea sites. The mean relationship for all sites was 5.86 0.18 t m–2 basal area. The allometric relationships presented at both individual tree and stand levels, along with calculated biomass : basal area relationships, enable ready estimates to be made of above-ground biomass (carbon stocks) in woodlands dominated by these eucalypts in Queensland, assuming individual stem circumferences or community basal areas are known. However, to document changes in carbon stocks (e.g. for Greenhouse Gas Inventory or Carbon Offset trading purposes), more attention needs to be placed on monitoring fluxes in the independent variables (predictors) of these allometric equations.

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Regional variation in canopy transpiration of Central European beech forests

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-004-1798-6 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 143 (2) ◽

pp. 260-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Florian Schipka ◽

Jutta Heimann ◽

Christoph Leuschner

Keyword(s):

Regional Variation ◽

European Beech ◽

Beech Forests ◽

Central European ◽

Canopy Transpiration

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Water Shortage Affects the Water and Nitrogen Balance in Central European Beech Forests

Plant Biology ◽

10.1055/s-2004-820878 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 289-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

A. Geβler ◽

C. Keitel ◽

M. Nahm ◽

H. Rennenberg

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Balance ◽

European Beech ◽

Water Shortage ◽

Beech Forests ◽

Central European

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Mind the gaps: Comparison of representative vs opportunistic assessment of tree regeneration in Central European beech forests

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119179 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 491 ◽

pp. 119179

Author(s):

Daniel Scherrer ◽

Fabien Hiltebrand ◽

Jürgen Dengler ◽

Thomas Wohlgemuth

Keyword(s):

European Beech ◽

Tree Regeneration ◽

Beech Forests ◽

Central European

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Assessment of Above Ground Biomass and Fire Risk Zonation in Selected Forest Areas of LudhiKhola Watershed, Gorkha Nepal

10.21523/gcj1.18020104 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 47-64

Author(s):

Shiva Pokhre

Keyword(s):

Forest Fire ◽

Fire Risk ◽

Projection Area ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Potential Zone ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Risk Zone ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Risk Zonation

The drive for robust, accurate and cost-effective methods for biomass estimation over large areas is ever great with the launch of carbon crediting mechanisms in the developing countries such as UN-REDD [United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation] and climate change mitigation program. Traditional ground based measurement requires abundant manpower, resources, cost and time. Remote sensing based technologies pertinently answer the need of time in enhancing the successful implementation of such programs. The region growing and valley following algorithm used to delineate individual tree crowns produced a segmentation accuracy of 59.35% and 54.83%, respectively. Both algorithms have similar approaches for delineation. Above ground biomass was calculated using allometric equation form and height, diameter measured from the field. Linear regression models were applied to derive the relation of biomass with crown projection area, field measured height with biomass. All models were significant at 95% confidence level and the lowest Root Mean Square Error (RMSE %) of 27.45 % (Shorea robusta) and 33.33% (others species). The total amount of biomass stocks was approximately 30620 Kg/ha-1. For forest fire hazard zonation an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used .The result show that 11% of the study area falls under very low fire risk zone, 55 % falls under low fire risk zone and 30 % falls under moderate fire potential zone while 4% of area falls under high forest fire risk zone. The map is also validated through major past fire incidents. The results show that the predicted fire zones are found to be in good agreement with past fire incidents, and hence, the map can be used for future forest resources management.

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Effects of forest management on biodiversity in temperate deciduous forests: An overview based on Central European beech forests

Journal for Nature Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.jnc.2017.08.001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 213-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

E.D. Schulze

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

European Beech ◽

Deciduous Forests ◽

Beech Forests ◽

Central European ◽

Temperate Deciduous ◽

Temperate Deciduous Forests

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Carbon allocation to wood formation in an unmanaged deciduous forest in Thuringia (Germany)-a case study of biomass production efficiency

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1086 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jingshu Wei ◽

Maria Karamihalaki ◽

Georg von Arx ◽

Flurin Babst

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Carbon Fluxes ◽

Wood Formation ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Climatic Fluctuations ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Biomass Increment

Carbon allocation to wood formation is the key process that drives biomass accumulation in forest ecosystems. Particularly important from a carbon balance perspective is the fraction of carbon taken up through photosynthesis (i.e. gross primary productivity) that is allocated to and sequestered in long-lasting wood tissues. This fraction is known as &#8220;biomass production efficiency&#8221; and a comprehensive understanding of its inter- and intra-annual variability in response to climatic fluctuations and ecosystem dynamics is still lacking. In this study, we assessed and reconstructed the above-ground biomass increment of three deciduous tree species, European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) in Hainich National Park, Thuringia (Germany). Trees were sampled in a fixed plot design within the footprint area of a long-term eddy-covariance site (DE-Hai). We applied allometric equations to estimate tree volume and combined them with tree-ring width and wood density measurement to quantify and reconstruct the carbon stored as above-ground biomass in wood tissues. We scaled these measurements from the tree to the plot level and integrated the annual biomass increment with the carbon fluxes from the tower to quantify biomass production efficiency. Finally, we correlated species-specific growth with carbon fluxes and various climate parameters at daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual resolution to better understand, how climate variations affect carbon allocation to wood growth at this site. Our study represents a well-constrained observational framework to provide both quantitative and qualitative information on forest carbon cycling that can be used, e.g., to better parameterize tree-centered mechanistic vegetation models.

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