Individual Tree Diameter and Height Growth Models for 30 Tree Species in Mixed-Species and Uneven-Aged Forests of Mexico

Lack of knowledge of individual tree growth in species-rich, mixed forest ecosystems impedes their sustainable management. In this study, species-specific models for predicting individual diameter at breast height (dbh) and total tree height (h) growth were developed for 30 tree species growing in m...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jaime Briseño-Reyes, José Javier Corral-Rivas, Raúl Solis-Moreno, Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez, Daniel José Vega-Nieva, Pablito Marcelo López-Serrano, Benedicto Vargas-Larreta, Ulises Diéguez-Aranda, Gerónimo Quiñonez-Barraza, Carlos Antonio López-Sánchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Forests
Subjects:
dbh
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/4/429
Description
Summary:Lack of knowledge of individual tree growth in species-rich, mixed forest ecosystems impedes their sustainable management. In this study, species-specific models for predicting individual diameter at breast height (dbh) and total tree height (h) growth were developed for 30 tree species growing in mixed and uneven-aged forest stands in Durango, Mexico. Growth models were also developed for all pine, all oaks, and all other species of the genus <i>Arbutus</i> (strawberry trees). A database of 55,158 trees with remeasurements of dbh and h of a 5-year growth period was used to develop the models. The data were collected from 217 stem-mapped plots located in the Sierra Madre Occidental (Mexico). Weighted regression was used to remove heteroscedasticity from the species-specific dbh and h growth models using a power function of the tree size independent variables. The final models developed in the present study to predict dbh and total tree height growth included size variables, site factors, and competition variables in their formulation. The developed models fitted the data well and explained between 98 and 99% and of the observed variation of dbh, and between 77 and 98% of the observed variation of total tree height for the studied species and groups of species. The developed models can be used for estimating the individual dbh and h growth for the analyzed species and can be integrated in decision support tools for management planning in these mixed forest ecosystems.
ISSN:1999-4907