Improved Estimates of Biomass Expansion Factors and Root-To-Shoot Ratios: An Approach for Different Forest Types...

Advancements in the current state of the art of the key drivers of biomass expansion factor (BEF) and the root-to-shoot ratio (R) are crucial for producing accurate information on forest biomass and carbon stocks. Hence, we compiled a nationally representative dataset encompassing diverse tree growth stages and climatic gradients. In this study, we propose models to improve BEF and R estimates at the tree level for Eucalyptus and Pinus plantations in Brazil. In general, the BEF values were more representative (91.7%) in the database than the R values (8.3%) due to the high cost of collecting coarse roots. Regarding genera, Eucalyptus was more extensively sampled (89.9%) than Pinus (10.1%), reflecting the predominance of Eucalyptus as the most widely planted genus in Brazil. The average BEF and R values calculated in this study were 1.16 and 0.22, respectively, for Eucalyptus spp. and 1.22 and 0.31, respectively, for Pinus spp. In predicting the BEFs, the random effects in the linear mixed model that significantly captured the variations in Eucalyptus and Pinus spp. were temperature and age class, respectively. The fixed effects for Eucalyptus spp. included diameter, height, and age, while for Pinus spp., they were the Köppen climate classification, species, slenderness degree, and age. R estimates were mainly influenced by precipitation and age for both genera, with slenderness and diameter specifically affecting Eucalyptus spp., and height being a driving factor for Pinus spp. Our findings discourage the use of fixed or default values for BEF and R across locations with different climates and growing conditions to reduce uncertainties in carbon accounting and greenhouse gas inventories.