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

Abstract

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 Arbutus (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.

Simulating tree growth response to climate change in structurally diverse oak and beech forests

“…Then, variables describing the tree size (dbh, h) and the local light competition (LCI) are used to determined how this growth potential is distributed between primary and secondary growth. Height growth rate is known to first increase with tree size and then decrease (Koch et al, 2004;Briseño-Reyes et al, 2020). By considering the effect of the local light competition, Eq.…”

Analysis of Near-Surface Temperature Lapse Rates in Mountain Ecosystems of Northern Mexico Using Landsat-8 Satellite Images and ECOSTRESS

“…Detailed NSTLR and ESI maps might aid in identifying fireprone areas [82,83]. Future studies might explore the inclusion of local relationships of topographic effects on temperature (e.g., [84]) to refine ongoing research of fire risk (e.g., [43,44,[85][86][87]) or biomass or tree growth modeling (e.g., [88,89]) in these diverse and complex ecosystems.…”

Estimación del crecimiento de dos especies de Pinus de la Región Centro de Guerrero, México

“…El volumen maderable por aprovechar está en función del crecimiento y rendimiento de las especies que conforman los rodales forestales. En este contexto, es una práctica común la predicción del diámetro normal, el área basal, de la altura total o del volumen en función de variables predictoras tales como edad, densidad, calidad de estación, índices de competencia u otras que explican de manera alómetrica o biológica el crecimiento de los árboles (Briseño et al, 2020).…”

“…Con base en lo anterior, los modelos de crecimiento para árboles individuales facilitan la predicción al nivel de unidad de área, ya que la suma de los crecimientos de los árboles individuales que componen una unidad de superficie da como resultado el crecimiento total (Torres y Magaña, 2001). La técnica utilizada para obtener información y el de modelo por utilizar depende del tipo de bosque: puro, mezclado, coetáneo, incoetáneo, homogéneo o heterogéneo; y del intervalo de proyección (Diéguez et al, 2009;Hernández et al, 2018;Briseño et al, 2020).…”