Estimation of coarse root biomass and nutrient content for sugar maple, jack pine, and black spruce using stem diameter at breast height

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Camiré ◽  
Marcel Brazeau ◽  
Jean-David Moore

Estimates of belowground biomass and mineralomass are fundamental to understanding carbon and element cycling in forest ecosystems. At two sites, we measured coarse root (diameter ≥2 mm) biomass by diameter class and their mineralomass for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), and jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees to relate them to stem diameter at breast height (DBH). All regressions describing coarse root biomass and nutrient content as a function of stem DBH were highly significant (r2 ≥ 0.89, P < 0.001). Root mineral element (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S) concentrations varied with tree species and root diameter class. Sugar maple roots had higher N, P, and S concentrations than the other two tree species. Black spruce had higher root Ca concentrations. Element concentrations increased consistently with the reduction of root diameter for the three studied species. We also found that the horizontal root extent of sugar maple was related to tree DBH. In conjunction with other studies, the relationship suggests that this tree species could tolerate a 10%–20% root loss but not losses ≥28%–34%; otherwise, sugar maple health and vigour would be compromised in the short term.

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Bhatti ◽  
N. W. Foster ◽  
P. W. Hazlett

Vertical distribution of fine root biomass and nutrient content was examined within a black spruce (Picea mariana) stand growing on a boreal peat soil in northeastern Ontario. The influence of site physical and chemical properties on fine root biomass production was assessed. More then 80% of the fine roots were present in moss plus the top 10 cm of peat where nutrients and aeration are most favourable. The fine root biomass (W/V) was significantly higher with alder (5.9 kg m−3) (Alnus rugosa) as understory vegetation compared to non-alder locations (2.9 kg m−3). Total nutrient content in fine roots was 54, 3.2, 5.4, 63 and 5.7 kg ha−1 on the alder site and 20, 1.4, 2.3, 28 and 4.2 kg ha−1 of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg on the non-alder site, respectively. The mass (W/V) of nutrients in fine roots was strongly dependent upon the availability of nutrients in the peat. Fine root content had a strong positive relationship with peat available P and exchangeable K contents suggesting that P and K may be limiting nutrients for black spruce in this peat soil. Key words: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, boreal peatlands, aeration, water table


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
KePing MA ◽  
Ning LI ◽  
WuBing XU ◽  
Bo YANG ◽  
JiangShan LAI ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1441-1450 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Bond-Lamberty ◽  
C Wang ◽  
S T Gower

Allometric equations were developed relating aboveground biomass, coarse root biomass, and sapwood area to stem diameter at 17 study sites located in the boreal forests near Thompson, Man. The six species studied were trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch.), and willow (Salix spp.). Stands ranged in age from 4 to 130 years and were categorized as well or poorly drained. Stem diameter ranged from 0.1 to 23.7 cm. Stem diameter was measured at both the soil surface (D0) and breast height (DBH). The relationship between biomass and diameter, fitted on a log–log scale, changed significantly at ~3 cm DBH, suggesting that allometry differed between saplings and older trees. To eliminate this nonlinearity, a model of form log10 Y = a + b(log10 D) + c(AGE) + d(log10 D × AGE) was used, where D is stem diameter, AGE is stand age, and the cross product is the interaction between diameter and age. Most aboveground biomass equations (N = 326) exhibited excellent fits (R2 > 0.95). Coarse root biomass equations (N = 205) exhibited good fits (R2 > 0.90). Both D0 and DBH were excellent (R2 > 0.95) sapwood area predictors (N = 413). Faster growing species had significantly higher ratios of sapwood area to stem area than did slower growing species. Nonlinear aspects of some of the pooled biomass equations serve as a caution against extrapolating allometric equations beyond the original sample diameter range.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
pp. 1939-1952 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Major ◽  
Kurt H. Johnsen ◽  
Debby C. Barsi ◽  
Moira Campbell

Total belowground biomass, soil C, and N mass were measured in plots of 32-year-old black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) from four full-sib families studied previously for drought tolerance and differential productivity on a dry and a wet site. Stump root biomass was greater on the wet than on the dry site; however, combined fine and coarse root biomass was greater on the dry than on the wet site, resulting in no site root biomass differences. There were no site differences in root distribution by soil depth. Drought-tolerant families had greater stump root biomass and allocated relatively less to combined coarse and fine roots than drought-intolerant families. Fine roots (<2 mm) made up 10.9% and 50.2% of the belowground C and N biomass. Through 50 cm soil depth, mean total belowground C mass was 187.2 Mg·ha–1, of which 8.9%, 3.4%, 0.7%, and 87.0% were from the stump root, combined fine and coarse roots, necromass, and soil, respectively. Here, we show that belowground C sequestration generally mirrors (mostly from stump roots) aboveground growth, and thus, trends in genetic and genetic × environment productivity effects result in similar effects on belowground C sequestration. Thus, tree improvement may well be an important avenue to help stem increases in atmospheric CO2.


Koedoe ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V.L. Williams ◽  
E.T.F. Witkowski ◽  
K. Balkwill

Information on tree stem characteristics and dimensions is sparse, especially information that would enhance conservation and trade monitoring efforts for species where bark is harvested for medicinal use. Several tree stem characteristics were investigated during a study on the relationship between bark thickness and stem diameter, and this paper presents the mean height, branch-free bole length and wet and oven-dry bark thickness per stem diameter-class for six species. Additionally, prediction tables are constructed that allow bark thickness to be determined from diameter at breast height.


2013 ◽  
Vol 671-674 ◽  
pp. 2819-2824
Author(s):  
Shan Lu ◽  
Bo Chen ◽  
Shao Qing Hu

Based on the investigation on tree species within plant communities of parks and gardens in Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area, some indices such as species composition, importance value, application frequency, diameter class structure, health condition, and seasonal aspect structure of woody plants were calculated. The present situation and contributing factors of utilization of the tree species resources in the parks and gardens of the West Lake were analyzed, and some corresponding suggestions were proposed. The results were as follows: 1) There were 166 species of woody vascular plants in the parks and gardens of the West Lake, which belonged to 58 families and 108 genera. Compared with zonal plant species in Hangzhou and landscape plants in advanced foreign cities, the plant species number was very low. 2) About 30 species had high important value and application frequency. It indicated that the arbor and shrub species in each community in the parks and gardens of the West Lake was small at present. 3) The results of study of diameter class structure showed that, the average breast-height diameter of trees in the West Lake was 34cm, and about 67% trees had 20-40cm breast-height diameter. It indicated that a majority of trees were mature. 4) The results of study of health status showed that, most plant species developed well. 5) The results of study of seasonal aspect showed that, the plant landscape in the parks and gardens of the West Lake had different characteristics in different seasons, which were numerous flowers in spring, green shades in summer, colorful leaves in autumn and beautiful branches and trunks in winter.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 991-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Lavigne ◽  
M.J. Krasowski

Root systems of 31 balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees were excavated at five sites in central New Brunswick. Sites ranged from 10 to >80 years in stand age; most had been thinned at least once, and densities ranged from 750 to 44 000 trees·ha–1. The relationship between diameter at breast height and coarse root biomass in the present investigation was similar to one reported for balsam fir in northern New Brunswick but differed from two other published biomass equations. Coarse root biomass per hectare ranged from 3 to 30 Mg·ha–1 among studied sites. Coarse root biomass in the smaller root diameter classes was similar at all sites, but biomass in diameter classes >50 mm increased with stand age. Precommercial thinning added 3 Mg coarse root biomass·ha–1 to the detrital pool. The ratio of coarse root biomass to stem biomass averaged 0.36 (±0.02 SE). These results show that there is more belowground biomass in balsam fir ecosystems than would be expected from the generic ratio of belowground to aboveground biomass often applied to coniferous ecosystems, pointing to a need for using ratios that are more specific.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Eamus ◽  
X. Chen ◽  
G. Kelley ◽  
L. B. Hutley

Below-ground biomass of a Eucalyptus savanna forest was estimated following trenching to depths of 2 m around 16 mature trees in a tropical savanna of north Australia. Correlations among below-ground and various components of above-ground biomass were also investigated. In addition, root morphology was investigated by fractal analyses and a determination of an index of shallow-rootedness was undertaken. Total root biomass was 38.4 t ha–1, including 1 t ha–1 of fine roots. About 77–90&percnt; of total root biomass was found in the upper 0.5 m of soil. While fine-root biomass density was approximately constant (0.1 kg m–3) in the top soil, irrespective of distance from a tree stem, coarse-root biomass showed large variation with distance from the tree stem. Significant positive correlations among total root biomass, total above-ground biomass, diameter at breast height, leaf biomass and leaf area were obtained. It is likely that total root biomass can be reasonably accurately estimated from aboveground biomass and fine-root biomass from tree leaf area. We present equations that allow the prediction of belowground biomass from above-ground measures of tree size. Root morphology of two evergreen and two deciduous species was compared by the use of three parameters. These were the fractal dimension (d), which describes root system complexity; a proportionality factor (&alpha;), which is the ratio of the cross-sectional area before and after branching; and two indices of shallow-rootedness (ISR). Roots were found to be amenable to fractal analyses. The proportionality factor was independent of root diameter (Dr) at any branching level in all tree species examined, indicating that branching patterns were similar across all root sizes. The fractal dimension (d) ranged from 1.15 to 1.36, indicating a relatively simple root structure. Mean d was significantly different between E. tetrodonta (evergreen) and T. ferdinandiana (deciduous); however, no significant differences were found among other pairs of species. Terminalia ferdinandiana had the highest ISR, while Planchonia careya (deciduous) had the lowest. In addition, differences in ISR between P. careya and the other three species were significant, but not significant among E. miniata, E. tetrodonta and T. ferdinandiana. There were clear relationships among above-ground tree stem diameter at breast height, stem base diameter, and horizontal and vertical proximal root diameter. By the use of mean values of and stem diameter, we estimated the total crosssectional area of root and root diameter-class distribution for each species studied.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 264-271
Author(s):  
Thi Thu Huong Dang ◽  
Huu Thu Do ◽  
Minh Quang Trinh ◽  
Hung Manh Nguyen ◽  
Thi Tuyet Xuan Bui ◽  
...  

Stem diameter at breast height (D1.3m) and tree height (H) are commonly used measures of tree growth. Based on correlation analysis between biomass of stem, branches and leaves and stem diameter and height of tree we can identify allometric equation for predicting biomass and carbon sequestration of the vegetation. This study was carried out in the natural forests of Me Linh Station for biodiversity to develop allometric equation between biomass and diameter at breast height and height of tree. The study results indicated that twenty tree species dominate in natural forests in Me Linh Station for Biodiversity and they were selected for sampling. Through the 80 established linear equation models for above and below –ground biomass (AGB and BGB), we found that the biomass of tree species in Me Linh Station for Biodiversity were closely correlated with the diameter factor (R>0.902) and not clearly correlated with the height (correlation coefficient = 0.5498, R2< 0.549). Four regression equations were established, including: Pstem = 25.3051*(D1.3m)0.4627 (R2 : 9.661); Pbranch = 12.1043*(D1.3m)0.5416 (R2 : 9.8); Pleaves = 9.446*(D1.3m)0.5976 (R2 : 0.9363); P total biomass of forest = 25.882*D1.725 with R2: 0.8561) for estimating biomass and carbon sequestration of natural forest at the research site. Đường kính ngang ngực (D1.3m) và chiều cao (H) cây là hai nhân tố thường được dùng để đánh giá sự phát triển của cây gỗ. Việc xây dựng các phương trình tương quan giữa sinh khối (SK) thân, cành, lá, sinh khối tầng cây gỗ, sinh khối của quần xã thực vật với đường kính và chiều cao cây góp phần rất lớn trong dự báo sinh khối và khả năng hấp thụ khí carbon của thảm thực vật. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy 20 loài cây gỗ chiếm ưu thế trong rừng tự nhiên và chúng được chọn để thu mẫu. Mối tương quan giữa sinh khối với 2 nhân tố điều tra rừng là đường kính ngang ngực và chiều cao cây đã đươc kiểm tra thông qua 80 phương trình tương quan. Nhìn chung, sinh khối có tương quan chặt chẽ với nhân tố đường kính (hệ số tương quan R > 0,902), và không tương quan rõ với nhân tố chiều cao (R < 0,5498). Bốn phương trình tính sinh khối cho thảm rừng tại khu vực nghiên cứu đã được thiết lập: SKthân = 25,3051*(D1,3m)0,4627 (R2: 9,661); SKcành: 12,1043*(D1,3m)0,5416 (R2: 9,8); SKlá: 9,446*(D1,3m)0,5976 (R2: 0,9363) và SKtổng = 25,882*D1,725 with R2: 0,8561).


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 513-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fallah ◽  
N. Riahifar ◽  
K. Barari ◽  
A. Parsakhoo

The out-of-roundness and pith-off-centre of Alnus subcordata, Acer velutinum and Quercus castaneifolia growing in Hyrcanian forests of Iran were investigated. Stem disks were cut from the breast height and stump height of felled trees in diameter classes of 20 cm to 90 cm. Results indicated that the pith eccentricity for Acer velutinum was significantly greater than that of Alnus subcordata and Quercus castaneifolia (P &lt; 0.01). The pith-off-centre significantly increased with increasing stem diameter from 20 cm to 50 cm, while no significant difference were observed for pith-off-centre index from diameter class of 55 cm to 90 cm. The out-of-roundness in stems of Acer velutinum and Alnus subcordata was significantly greater than that of Quercus castaneifolia (P &lt; 0.01). Moreover, out-of-roundness significantly decreased with increasing stem diameters from 20 cm to 45 cm except for 35 cm. There were no significant differences among diameter classes from 60 cm to 85 cm with respect to out-of-roundness. For all the species, the out-of-roundness and pith-off-centre at stump height were greater than those at breast height.


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