Comparison of formulae for biomass content determination in a tropical rain forest site in the state of Pará, Brazil

The aboveground biomass content of a region can be estimated by either direct or indirect methods. The direct method corresponds to sampling the biomass content by weighing and extrapolating results to larger areas. The objective of this paper is to compare a number of biomass equations taken from previous studies and establish an appropriate mathematical formula to estimate the vegetation weight of a particular region in the Amazon forest. A 0.2 ha area of `terra firme' forest was chosen for the comparison. This effort was part of a major forest clearing experiment conducted in Tomé Açu. The entire biomass in the 0.2 ha area was weighed. A detailed inventory was carried out in the area prior to the cut and then the biomass was estimated with the inventory data inserted in the selected equations. Fourteen different biomass equations taken from previous studies were used. A comparison of the data of real mass and the mass obtained through the application of the fourteen formulas indicated that the two formulas more suitable for the region are given by (a) FW=αDβHγ, D the diameter at breast height (cm), H the total height of the tree (m) and α, β, and γ the regression coefficients, equal to 0.026, 1.529, and 1.747, respectively, and (b) FW=αDβ/(1−M), where α and β are 0.465 and 2.202, respectively, and M the moisture content, defined in terms of mass of moisture per unit mass of fresh biomass. The aboveground fresh biomass weight predicted by the above equations were within ±0.6% of the weight determined in the field.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: 43658 Araújo, Thaís Maia INPE, SP Brazil, 78016 Higuchi, Niro INPA, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (autor/a), 54727 Carvalho Júnior, João Andrade de Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil (autor/a)
Format: Texto biblioteca
Language:eng
Published: Amsterdam Elsevier 1999
Subjects:BIOMASA, MODELOS, BOSQUE TROPICAL, INVENTARIOS FORESTALES, MODELOS MATEMATICOS, ALOMETRIA, MEDICION, DIAMETRO A LA ALTURA DE PECHO, ALTURA, BIOMASA AEREA, ECUACIONES ALOMETRICAS, MODELOS DE REGRESION, AMAZON FOREST, BIOMASS, DIAMETER AT BREAST HEIGHT (DBH),
Online Access:http://orton.catie.ac.cr/repdoc/A11155i/A11155i.pdf
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