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A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF THE FINE ROOT BIOMASS FROM STAND DATA IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Citation:
Lee, E H., D T. Tingey, P A. Beedlow, M G. Johnson, AND R B. McKane. A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF THE FINE ROOT BIOMASS FROM STAND DATA IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH. National Research Council Canada, 34:2169-2180, (2004).
Description:
High spatial variability of fine roots in natural forest stands makes accurate estimates of stand-level fine root biomass difficult and expensive to obtain by standard coring methods. This study uses aboveground tree metrics and spatial relationships to improve core-based estimates of stand-level fine root biomass. Based on the Ribbens model, the approach assumes that the total fine root biomass at a given point is the additive contribution of the nearest dominant trees and that fine root biomass for a single tree depends upon the distance to the trunk and its size. A Monte Carlo technique is used to estimate the average fine root biomass across the stand. We illustrate the regional applicability of this approach by applying them to root-core data from two Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) stands and a western juniper (Juniper occidentalis Hook.) stand in the Pacific Northwest. We conclude that stand-level fine root biomass is adequately estimated using the additive Ribbens model for both pure and mixed stands. Unlike the Monte Carlo-Ribbens model estimate for stand-level fine root biomass, the accuracy and precision of the arithmetic mean of the coring samples depends upon the spatial heterogeneity of edaphic conditions and the representativeness of the root coring samples.