Bulk Density of Shrub Types and Tree Crowns to Use with Forest Inventories in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Bulk density for shrubs and tree crowns is an important variable, useful for many purposes, namely estimations for biomass and carbon sequestration and potential fire behavior prediction. In the latter case, bulk density is required to predict the rate of spread and intensity of crown fires. However, bulk density information is scarce. The estimation of bulk density is crucial to help choosing proper pyrosilviculture options to decrease fire susceptibility. Due to the similar environmental conditions and fuel characteristics in Portugal and Spain, we modelled bulk density for the most common woody species in all the Iberian Peninsula. We used 10 different shrub type formations and a set of tree species or groups common to both countries. Equations for bulk density, in both forest canopy and understory layers, were fitted as a function of biometric variables commonly used in forest inventories for the selected species. Standardized estimates of bulk density can be associated with data from the National Forest Inventories from Portugal and Spain, to estimate biomass of the forest ecosystems and to evaluate potential fire behavior involving tree canopies and shrubs.