Development, growth, and biomass simulations of two common wetland tree species in Texas

Monitoring the health and condition of wetlands using biological assessments can serve as an effective tool for environmental managers to better evaluate and monitor the status and trends of their wetland ecosystems. Woody species can be used as conspicuous biological assessment tools due to their direct response to environmental change, such as hydrologic alteration. The purpose of this study is to use field-measured morphological measurement indices to develop and optimize tree growth parameters and growth curves using multi-model combination approach to improve tree biomass estimations. Field morphological investigations were conducted for two common wetland tree species in Texas. A range of morphological characteristics including leaf area index, height, and biomass was measured for black willow (Salix nigra Marsh) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) sampled from 15 sites in a wetland near Cameron, Texas. The measured morphological parameters were used to optimize tree growth and development with the ALMANAC model. The developed tree growth parameters and growth curves were subsequently used in the APEX model to simulate tree biomass at the catchment scale. Both models accurately simulated biomass of trees growing in the wetland. This accurate biomass prediction will be useful to advance science to better monitor and assess wetland health on a large scale (e.g. national or global).