Scale and spatial structure effects on tree size distributions: implications for growth and yield modelling
Diameter and other size distributions are extensively used in growth modelling. These are usually obtained from sample plot data and assumed to apply both at the stand level, of interest for production planning, and at the forest patch level, the level relevant for tree growth interactions. However, spatial correlation can cause distribution parameters and their estimates to vary with the extent of ground considered. Using mapped tree data from four forest stands in central Canada, it is shown that differences in DBH variance with plot size can be substantial. In addition, size correlations between neighbouring trees were positive, rather than negative as implied by current distance-dependent growth models. Biases in mean DBH are also found. It is proved that plot totals and frequencies are unbiased estimates of stand parameters, but variances and some other statistics are not. The expected variance is expressed in terms of plot size and shape and of second-order stand spatial structure properties. Some possible approaches for reducing bias in stand-level variance estimates are discussed, and the desirability of modelling microsite or genetic spatial correlations in individual-tree simulators is pointed out.