Stand-Level Green Biomass Equations for Sawtimber-Sized Loblolly Pine in Arkansas

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is commercially the most important timber species in southern Arkansas and the southern United States. Results of stand-level timber inventories have traditionally been reported in terms of volume, yet loblolly pine sawtimber is bought and sold based on biomass. A straight forward stand-level conversion from volume per hectare to biomass per hectare does not exist for Arkansas, thus complicating the valuation of standing loblolly pine sawtimber. Two equations were developed to predict stand-level, outside-bark, green biomass per unit area for loblolly pine stands in southern Arkansas. The merchantable sawlog equation presented herein explained approximately 95% of the variation present and had an average error of 4.2 percent when applied to validation data. The equation for total merchantable biomass explained about 99% of the variation and had an average error of 1.5 percent when applied to validation data. Use of these equations should simplify the valuation of standing timber in loblolly pine sawtimber stands in southern Arkansas

Quantifying Forest Ground Flora Biomass Using Proximal Sensing

Current focus on forest conservation and forest sustainability has increased the level of attention given to measures of ground flora in forest ecosystems. Traditionally, such data are collected via time- and resource-intensive methods of field identification, clipping, and weighing. With increased focus on community composition and structure measures of forest ground flora, the manner in which these data are collected must change. This project uses color and color infrared digital cameras to proximally sense forest ground flora and to develop regression models to predict green and dry biomass (g/m^) from the proximally sensed data. Traditional vegetative indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) and the Average Visible Reflectance Index (AVR) explained 35-45% of the variation in forest ground flora biomass. Adding individual color band variables, especially the red and near infrared bands, to the regression model allowed the model to explain 66% and 58% of the variation in green and dry biomass, respectively, present

Teaching Forest Measurements Online: An Overview of the Initial Experience at the University of Arkansas-Monticello

A 3-credit, online forest measurement course designed for sophomore-level students was created and taught for the first time during Fall 2001 in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Arkansas-Monticello. Narrated PowerPoint presentations saved in html format were used to deliver the lecture material. An overview of the course material, the time required preparing the course, and issues that should be considered by first-time online instructors are discussed. All things considered, the course was a success despite the heavy upfront workload and technical issues encountered

Relationships between extreme stem angles and photosynthetic rates in Pinus strobus.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/53989/1/2424.pdfDescription of 2424.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station