Biomass calculation

As foresters, we tend to measure trees in terms of volume per hectare, but many uses require a measure of the biomass of trees, that is the mass of dry matter that makes up the trees. We present here a tool that can be used to estimate the tree-level dry mass of 41 indigenous forest tree species of Canada, for a mean of all coniferous or all deciduous species, and for a mean of all the species analyzed. The biomass equations provide estimates of bark, stem, branches and foliage, as a function of either tree diameter at 1.3 m or tree diameter at 1.3 m and height. The analysis has been carried out so that the sum of the components gives an estimate of the total above-ground biomass. The underlying equations have been adjusted on thousands of trees that have been sampled across Canada as part of a research program on forest biomass carried out in the early 1980s. The equations are applicable across all of Canada. The trees were sampled in forested environments, and not in open or urban settings where trees can present different geometries. The equations, the analytical methodology and the error terms are all available in the following scientific articles:

Lambert, M-C, C-H Ung and F Raulier. 2005. Canadian national tree aboveground biomass equations. Can. J. For. Res. 35:1996-2018. (PDF 1 Mb)

Ung, C-H, P Bernier, and X-J Guo. 2008. Canadian national biomass equations: new parameter estimates that include British Columbia data. Can.J.For.Res

Calculation using the diameter of the tree

Species

Diameter cm (at 1.3 m)

Please fill choose a specie and enter a numeric value for the diameter

Calculation using the diameter and height of the tree

Species

Diameter cm (at 1.3 m)

Height m

Please fill choose a specie and enter a numeric value for the diameter and the height