Biomass equations for lodgepole pine in northern Sweden

Biomass equations for cultivated lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) were developed based on data from destructive biomass sampling of 164 trees collected from 13 sites at latitudes 61.9-66.2 ยบN in northern Sweden. Stand age varied between 20-87 years and top height between 8-32 m. Seeded and planted stands with different densities were included. Allometric biomass equations for all above-stump components, expressing dry weight of stem, bark, living and dead branch wood, foliage and cones, as well as total weight, were constructed and further tested. Three equations were developed for most components, with one, two or three independent variables. Estimated values for trees of different sizes were compared to corresponding estimates for lodgepole pine in Canada and Scots pine in Sweden and Finland. Residual variation of our equations was lower than that of equations from other sources. Our equations predicted similar average biomass levels as Canadian equations for natural stands. In comparison to 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.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author