Generic models of the biomass of larches (Larix spp.) and stone pines (Pinus L. subsection Cembrae Loud.) for laser sensing in climatic gradients of Eurasia

Abstract

In the context of growing global urbanization and climate fluctuations, understanding the development of forest ecosystems in terms of their ability to remove atmospheric carbon is of increasing interest. Its content in the atmosphere continues to increase due to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Airborne laser scanning technology has become widely used in assessing the biomass of trees by remotely registering such taxation indicators of trees, such as the width of the crown and the height of the tree. There are many allometric biomass models of different tree species in different climatic conditions, but allometric models for estimating biomass by remote methods are presented by single works. The authors use the base of harvest data of 138 sample trees of larch (Larix spp.) and 93 ones of stone pines (Pinus L. subsection Cembrae Loud.) growing on Eurasia with measured indicators of tree height, crown width, as well as the biomass of the trunk, foliage, branches and roots. For all components of aboveground biomass, a positive relationship with the crown width and the tree height was established. The results obtained give an vision of how the structure of the biomass of equal-sized trees of such species as larch and stone pine can differ, whether this structure can change in the climatic gradients of Eurasia, what can be the contribution of climate variables to the explanation of the variability of tree biomass, and what are the potential possibilities of laser technology for recognizing tree species at the level of individual trees. © 2021 Nicolaus Copernicus University. All rights reserved.