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Measurements of stem diameter: implications for individual- and stand-level errors.

Keryn I Paul1, John S Larmour2, Stephen H Roxburgh2

  • 1CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia. Keryn.Paul@csiro.au.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|July 28, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Accurate stem diameter measurement is crucial for estimating woody vegetation growth. The Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG) offers a more efficient alternative to traditional tapes, significantly reducing measurement time with minimal error for stand-scale assessments.

Keywords:
AcaciaAllometryBasal areaCarbon sequestrationDBHEucalyptusMeasurement errorTree diameter

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Area of Science:

  • Forestry and Ecology
  • Quantitative Ecology
  • Mensuration

Background:

  • Stem diameter is a key metric for assessing woody vegetation growth and its associated benefits, including biomass production and carbon sequestration.
  • Inconsistent stem diameter measurements introduce significant errors in stand-scale estimations of basal area, biomass, and volume.
  • Variability in tree form and stand composition complicates accurate diameter measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify and compare measurement errors between a standard diameter tape and a Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG).
  • To assess the influence of tree size, form, and measurement height on diameter measurement accuracy.
  • To evaluate the relative contribution of measurement error versus sampling error to overall stand-scale estimation inaccuracies.

Main Methods:

  • Repeated stem diameter measurements on diverse trees and shrubs across various stand types.
  • Comparison of measurement time and error between a standard diameter tape and the Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG).
  • Analysis of systematic and random errors associated with each measurement tool.

Main Results:

  • The Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG) demonstrated a small mean systematic error (-0.17 cm) and acceptable random error (average 3.8% coefficient of variation).
  • SDG measurement time was nearly halved compared to the standard diameter tape.
  • Sampling errors in tree selection had a tenfold greater impact on basal area estimates than diameter measurement errors.

Conclusions:

  • The Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG) is recommended for efficient stand-scale biomass and volume assessments, provided adequate sample sizes are used.
  • Standard diameter tapes are recommended for high-accuracy applications like allometric modeling and monitoring permanent sample plots, especially for irregular stems.
  • Balancing accuracy and efficiency is key; SDG enhances efficiency for large-scale inventories, while tapes ensure precision for detailed studies.