Seeing Central African forests through their largest trees

Bastin, Jean-François; Barbier, Nicolas; Réjou‐Méchain, Maxime; Fayolle, Adeline; Gourlet‐Fleury, Sylvie; Maniatis, Danae; Haulleville, Thalès de; Baya, Fidèle; Beeckman, Hans; Beina, Denis; Couteron, Pierre; Chuyong, George B.; Dauby, Gilles; Doucet, Jean‐Louis; Droissart, Vincent; Dufrêne, Marc; Ewango, Corneille; Gillet, Jean‐François; Gonmadje, C. H.; Hart, Térese B.; Kavali, T.; Kenfack, David; Libalah, Moses B.; Malhi, Yadvinder; Makana, Jean‐Remy; Pélissier, Raphaël; Ploton, Pierre; Serckx, Adeline; Sonké, Bonaventure; Stévart, Tariq; Thomas, Duncan W.; Cannière, Charles De; Bogaert, Jan

doi:10.1038/srep13156

Cited by 133 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We can therefore hypothesize that in the neotropics, where large trees are less common in forests than in the paleotropics (Lewis et al, 2013;Slik et al, 2013), the model would more systematically overestimate plot AGB. Interestingly, most of the plots undergoing a systematic AGB underestimation (i.e., high number of large trees) were located in the Atlantic forests of western Cameroon (Korup National Park), where large individuals of Lecomtedoxa klaineana (Pierre ex Engl) -a so-called "biomass hyperdominant" species (sensu Bastin et al, 2015) -are particularly abundant. Interactions between model error and forest structure may thus also hinder the detection of spatial variations in forest AGB between forest types as well as on local scales, e.g., between patches dominated by Lecomtedoxa klaineana trees or not.…”

Section: Model Error Propagation Depends On Targeted Plot Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is often argued that, by definition, the least-squares regression model implies that tree-level errors are globally centered on 0, thus limiting the plot-level prediction error to approximately 5-10 % for a standard 1 ha forest plot Moundounga Mavouroulou et al, 2014). However, systematic errors associated with large trees are expected to disproportionally propagate to plot-level predictions because of their prominent contribution to plot AGB (Bastin et al, 2015;Clark and Clark, 1996;Sist et al, 2014;Slik et al, 2013;Stephenson et al, 2014). Thus, identifying the origin of systematic errors in such biomass allometric models is a prerequisite for improving local biomass estimations and thus limiting the risk of uncontrolled error propagation to broad-scale extrapolations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimation: taking crown mass variation into account in pantropical allometries

Ploton¹,

Barbier²,

Takoudjou³

et al. 2016

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Accurately monitoring tropical forest carbon stocks is a challenge that remains outstanding. Allometric models that consider tree diameter, height and wood density as predictors are currently used in most tropical forest carbon studies. In particular, a pantropical biomass model has been widely used for approximately a decade, and its most recent version will certainly constitute a reference model in the coming years. However, this reference model shows a systematic bias towards the largest trees. Because large trees are key drivers of forest carbon stocks and dynamics, understanding the origin and the consequences of this bias is of utmost concern. In this study, we compiled a unique tree mass data set of 673 trees destructively sampled in five tropical countries (101 trees > 100 cm in diameter) and an original data set of 130 forest plots (1 ha) from central Africa to quantify the prediction error of biomass allometric models at the individual and plot levels when explicitly taking crown mass variations into account or not doing so. We first showed that Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. P. Ploton et al.: Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimationthe proportion of crown to total tree aboveground biomass is highly variable among trees, ranging from 3 to 88 %. This proportion was constant on average for trees < 10 Mg (mean of 34 %) but, above this threshold, increased sharply with tree mass and exceeded 50 % on average for trees ≥ 45 Mg. This increase coincided with a progressive deviation between the pantropical biomass model estimations and actual tree mass. Taking a crown mass proxy into account in a newly developed model consistently removed the bias observed for large trees (> 1 Mg) and reduced the range of plot-level error (in %) from [−23; 16] to [0; 10]. The disproportionally higher allocation of large trees to crown mass may thus explain the bias observed recently in the reference pantropical model. This bias leads to far-from-negligible, but often overlooked, systematic errors at the plot level and may be easily corrected by taking a crown mass proxy for the largest trees in a stand into account, thus suggesting that the accuracy of forest carbon estimates can be significantly improved at a minimal cost.

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Section: Model Error Propagation Depends On Targeted Plot Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimation: taking crown mass variation into account in pantropical allometries

Ploton¹,

Barbier²,

Takoudjou³

et al. 2016

Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…La ausencia de árboles grandes puede ser una razón que promueve el desarrollo de un sotobosque denso y con alta biomasa, independiente de la dinámica del bosque. Por consiguiente, la dinámica de los árbo-les pequeños puede ser relativamente importante para la función global del ecosistema como lo sugieren algunos autores (Royo & Carson, 2006), una conclusión opuesta de otros estudios que muestran una contribución mayor de los árboles de gran diámetro (Bastin et al, 2015;LaFrankie et al, 2006;Lutz et al, 2012;Slik et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Contenido De Carbono en Un Bosque De Tierra Firme Del Resguardo Nonuya-Villazul, Amazonia Colombiana

2017

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La implementación de los programas REDD+ requiere estimaciones precisas del carbono forestal. En este estudio se reporta el contenido de carbono en un bosque de tierra firme del resguardo Villazul-Nonuya RVN de la Amazonia colombiana, con base en una parcela permanente de 6 ha. Se evalúa su variación espacial y la contribución del sotobosque, dos factores poco considerados. Se encontró una biomasa promedio total de 336.1±14.0 t.ha-1; el 11.5% se encuentra en el sotobosque (DAP 1-10 cm) y el 88.5% corresponde a árboles con DAP ≥ 10 cm; los árboles grandes (DAP ≥ 70 cm) son pocos (4 ±1 por ha) y tienen una baja contribución a la biomasa (6.8%) en comparación con otros bosques tropicales. La biomasa promedio estimada está dentro del rango reportado para toda la cuenca Amazónica, es superior a la Amazonia Occidental y similar al de Amazonia colombiana. Considerando que el resguardo VN tiene 208 800 ha en bosques de tierra firme, se estimó un promedio total de 31.0 Mt C (95% IC 29.1-32.04). Estos resultados permiten ubicar a los bosques del resguardo VN en un contexto global y mejorar la precisión de las estimaciones de carbono forestal en la Amazonia colombiana.

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“…Sporadic death of largesized trees resulted in AGB loss at the 1-ha subplot level. It is well known that a small number of large-sized trees contain a large share of AGB and its dynamics in tropical forests (Bastin et al 2015, Slik et al 2013. As experimental felling removed the large-sized trees from the felled (HF and LF) plots, the dynamics of AGB in the felled plots should have changed from those in the UF plots.…”

Section: Agb Of Large Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sixteen years changes in tree density and aboveground biomass of a logged and burned dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Toma T, Warsudi, Osone Y, Sutedjo, Sato T, Sukartiningsih. 2017. Sixteen years changes in tree density and aboveground biomass of a logged and burned dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 1159-1167. Changes in tree density and aboveground biomass (AGB) of a logged and burned lowland dipterocarp forest were monitored in Bukit Soeharto Research and Education Forest (BSREF) of Mulawarman University, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. A 9-ha plot was established in 1997 to investigate the effect of second felling and the subsequent recovery. Experimental felling was conducted in October 1997, and the plot was burned by uncontrolled fires between February and April 1998. Stem diameter of living trees (diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm) in the plot was recorded annually. Allometric functions and the annual tree inventory were used to estimate changes in AGB. Tree density in the 9-ha plot was 429 trees ha −1 before the experimental felling.This decreased to 76 trees ha −1 in 2000 because of the felling and fires. Tree density increased to 515 trees ha −1 until 2008 and then decreased to 408 trees ha −1 in 2014. AGB of the 9-ha plot was 279 Mg ha −1 in 1997,which decreased to 96 Mg ha −1 in 2000 and then increased to 139 Mg ha −1 in 2014. After 16 years of the 1998 fires, in 2014, BSREF consists of a mosaic of forest stands that are dominated by either large late successional tree species or small pioneer trees. The former stands consisted of numerous late successional tree species that survived the felling and fires. The latter stands were dominated by a few pioneer species. In 2016, 16 years after the fire, these pioneer dominating stands are now undergoing a transitional stage from pioneer to late successional trees that grow longer and larger than the pioneer trees. Logged and burned forest stands may recover their AGB comparable to that of the original forest (≥400 Mg ha −1 ), if these stands are saved from further logging and fires in the longterm.

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Seeing Central African forests through their largest trees

Cited by 133 publications

References 29 publications

Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimation: taking crown mass variation into account in pantropical allometries

Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimation: taking crown mass variation into account in pantropical allometries

Contenido De Carbono en Un Bosque De Tierra Firme Del Resguardo Nonuya-Villazul, Amazonia Colombiana

Sixteen years changes in tree density and aboveground biomass of a logged and burned dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

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