Biomass equations for lodgepole pine in northern Sweden

Abstract

Biomass equations for cultivated lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) were developed based on data from destructive biomass sampling of 164 trees collected from 13 sites at latitudes 61.9°N–66.2°N in northern Sweden. Stand age varied between 20 and 87 years and top height varied between 8 and 32 m. Seeded and planted stands with different densities were included. Allometric biomass equations for all above-stump components were constructed, expressing dry mass of stem, bark, living and dead branch wood, foliage, and cones, as well as total mass. Equations with one to three independent variables were constructed for each component, accounting for variances within and between sites. Estimated values for trees of different sizes were compared with corresponding estimates for lodgepole pine in Canada and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Sweden and Finland. Residual variation of our equations was lower than that of equations from other sources. Our equations predicted average biomass levels similar to the predictions from Canadian equations for natural stands. In comparison with Scots pine, at given stem dimensions, lodgepole pine had 50%–100% more foliage biomass and greater dead branch biomass with increasing tree size. The wide amplitude of our data and the flexible form of our equations should make them useful for wider application.