Forest biomass and its change over time have been measured at both local and large scales, an example for the latter being forest greenhouse gas inventories. Currently used methodologies to obtain stock change estimates for large forest areas are mostly based on forest inventory information as well as various factors, referred to as biomass factors, or biomass equations, which transform diameter, height or volume data into biomass estimates. However, while forest inventories usually apply statistically sound sampling and can provide representative estimates for large forest areas, the biomass factors or equations used are, in most cases, not representative, because they are based on local studies. Moreover, their application is controversial due to the inconsistent or inappropriate use of definitions involved. There is no standardized terminology of the various factors, and the use of terms and definitions is often confusing. The present contribution aims at systematically summarizing the main types of biomass factors (BF) and biomass equations (BE) and providing guidance on how to proceed when selecting, developing and applying proper factors or equations to be used in forest biomass estimation. The contribution builds on the guidance given by the IPCC (Good practice guidance for land use, land-use change and forestry, 2003) and suggests that proper application and reporting of biomass factors and equations and transparent and consistent reporting of forest carbon inventories are needed in both scientific literature and the greenhouse gas inventory reports of countries.
-Comparable regional scale estimates for the carbon balance of forests are needed for scientific and political purposes. We developed a method for deriving these estimates from readily available forest inventory data by using statistical biomass models and dynamic modelling of litter and soil. Here, we demonstrate this method and apply it to Finland's forests between 1922 and 2004. The method was reliable, since the results obtained were comparable to independent data. The amount of carbon stored in the forests increased by 29%, 79% of which was found in the biomass and 21% in the litter and soil. The carbon balance varied annually, depending on the climate and level of harvesting, with each of these factors having effects on the biomass differing from those on the litter and soil. Our results demonstrate the importance of accounting for all forest carbon pools to avoid misleading pictures of short-and long-term forest carbon balance.carbon inventory / forest biomass / greenhouse gas inventory / litter / soil modelling Résumé -Accumulation de carbone dans les forêts finlandaises entre 1922 et 2004, une estimation obtenue en combinant les données de l'inventaire forestier avec une modélisation de la biomasse de la litière et du sol. Une estimation comparable à l'échelle régionale du bilan de carbone des forêts était nécessaire pour des objectifs scientifiques et politiques. Nous avons développé une méthode pour déduire ces estimations de données facilement disponibles de l'inventaire forestier en utilisant des modèles statistique de la biomasse et une modélisation dynamique de la litière et du sol. Ici nous présentons cette méthode et l'appliquons aux forêts de Finlande entre 1922 et 2004. La méthode a été fiable, puisque les résultats obtenus ont été comparables à des données indépendantes. La quantité de carbone accumulée dans les forêts s'est accrue de 29 %,79 % de ce qui a été trouvé dans la biomasse et 21 % dans la litière et le sol. Le bilan de carbone varie annuellement, selon le climat et l'importance de la récolte, chacun de ces facteurs ayant des effets sur la biomasse différents de ceux qui agissent sur la litière et sur le sol. Nos résultats démontrent l'importance de comptabiliser tous les réservoirs de carbone en forêt pour éviter des images trompeuses du bilan de carbone des forêts à court et moyen terme.inventaire du carbone / biomasse forestière / inventaire des gaz à effet de serre / litière / sol
Aim The relative contribution of community functional diversity and composition to ecosystem functioning is a critical question in ecology in order to enable better predictions of how ecosystems may respond to a changing climate.However, there is little consensus about which modes of functional biodiversity are most important for tree growth at large spatial scales. Here we assessed the relative importance of climate, functional diversity and functional identity (i.e. the communitymeanvalues of four key functional traits) for tree growth across the European continent, spanning the northern boreal to the southern Mediterranean forests. Location Finland, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Wallonia (Belgium). Methods Using data from five European national forest inventories we applied a hierarchical linear model to estimate the sensitivity of tree growth to changes in climate, functional diversity and functional identity along a latitudinal gradient. Results Functional diversity was weakly related to tree growth in the temperate and boreal regions and more strongly in the Mediterranean region. In the temperate region, where climate was the most important predictor, functional diversity and identity had a similar importance for tree growth. Functional identity was strongest at the latitudinal extremes of the continent, largely driven by strong changes in the importance of maximum height along the latitudinal gradient. Main conclusions Functional diversity is an important driver of tree growth in the Mediterranean region, providing evidence that niche complementarity may be more important for tree growth in water-limited forests. The strong influence of functional identity at the latitudinal extremes indicates the importance of a particular trait composition for tree growth in harsh climates. Furthermore, we speculate that this functional identity signal may reflect a trait-based differentiation of successional stages rather than abiotic filtering due to water or energy limitation
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