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Tree height-diameter allometry and implications for biomass estimates in Northeastern Amazonian forests.
Aldine Luiza Pereira Baia1, Henrique E M Nascimento2, Marcelino Guedes3
1Post-Graduate Program in Tropical Biodiversity, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil.
Peerj
|March 17, 2025
Summary
Developing local height-diameter models significantly improves aboveground biomass estimates in Amazonian forests. Using these models, rather than regional or pantropical ones, reduces errors, especially for large trees, enhancing tropical forest biomass accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Forest Ecology
- Biomass Estimation
- Allometry
Background:
- Tree height-diameter relationships vary significantly across tropical forest types.
- Inaccurate height estimates introduce substantial uncertainty into aboveground biomass calculations.
- Existing regional and pantropical models may not accurately represent local forest conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if local height-diameter models improve aboveground biomass estimates compared to published equations.
- To evaluate the accuracy of different height-diameter models across spatial scales in Amazonian forests.
- To determine the impact of model choice on biomass estimation for terra-firme and várzea forests.
Main Methods:
- Measured diameter and height of 1,962 trees in terra-firme and várzea forests.
- Developed and selected best-fit local height-diameter allometric equations from 10 candidate models.
- Compared height and biomass estimates from local models against regional and pantropical models using measured data.
Main Results:
- Local asymptotic height-diameter models (Quadratic, Weibull, Michaelis-Menten) best fit the data.
- Local models yielded height estimates with only 0.1% deviation, outperforming regional (3-29% deviation) and pantropical (6-19% deviation) models.
- Using local models improved biomass estimation accuracy to ~1% difference from measured values, unlike regional/pantropical models which caused over/underestimations (17-41%).
Conclusions:
- Local height-diameter models are essential for accurate biomass estimation in diverse tropical forest types.
- Regional and pantropical models introduce significant errors, particularly for large trees in Amazonian forests.
- Increased sampling of large trees is crucial for refining biomass estimation accuracy in Northeastern Amazonia.
