Measuring biomass and carbon stock in resprouting woody plants

Resprouting multi-stemmed woody plants form an important component of the woody vegetation in many ecosystems, but a clear methodology for reliable measurement of their size and quick, non-destructive estimation of their woody biomass and carbon stock is lacking. Our goal was to find a minimum numbe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-02, Vol.10 (2), p.e0118388-e0118388
Main Authors: Matula, Radim, Damborská, Lenka, Nečasová, Monika, Geršl, Milan, Šrámek, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Alternative energy sources
Biomass
Carbon
Carbon - analysis
Carbon content
Destructive testing
Ecosystems
Estimates
Forestry
Growth models
Parameters
Plant sciences
Plants (botany)
Quercus acutissima
Seedlings - chemistry
Studies
Trees
Vegetation
Wood
Wood - chemistry
Woody plants
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Summary:Resprouting multi-stemmed woody plants form an important component of the woody vegetation in many ecosystems, but a clear methodology for reliable measurement of their size and quick, non-destructive estimation of their woody biomass and carbon stock is lacking. Our goal was to find a minimum number of sprouts, i.e., the most easily obtainable, and sprout parameters that should be measured for accurate sprout biomass and carbon stock estimates. Using data for 5 common temperate woody species, we modelled carbon stock and sprout biomass as a function of an increasing number of sprouts in an interaction with different sprout parameters. The mean basal diameter of only two to five of the thickest sprouts and the basal diameter and DBH of the thickest sprouts per stump proved to be accurate estimators for the total sprout biomass of the individual resprouters and the populations of resprouters, respectively. Carbon stock estimates were strongly correlated with biomass estimates, but relative carbon content varied among species. Our study demonstrated that the size of the resprouters can be easily measured, and their biomass and carbon stock estimated; therefore, resprouters can be simply incorporated into studies of woody vegetation.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0118388