Developing biomass allometric equations for small trees in mixed-species forests of tropical rainforest ecozone

Abstract

Allometric equations for the small trees that dominate many forests recovering from disturbance, such as fire, are relatively rare, increasing the uncertainty of aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates in young regrowth forests. In this study we sampled 516 small trees (diameter <5 cm at 1.3 m height) from 105 species within Indonesian mixed forests to develop multispecies biomass allometric models and root to shoot ratio. Small trees were sampled across three ecosystems: peat swamp forests, heath forests and dryland forests. Several combinations of weighted log-linear regression analyses of tree diameter (D) and tree height (H) versus tree biomass were applied to identify the best model for est..