Determination of the biomass of Pinus mugo stands

Abstract

The dwarf pine stands on unoriginal sites in mountainous areas of the Czech Republic are a current topic of scientific discussion. One of these sites is on the summits of the Hrubý Jesenik Mts. Various proposals for dwarf pine removal have been hindered by the absence of charts or tables that could be used to calculate how much biomass would need to be removed. Therefore, we created a methodology for dwarf pine biomass determination and applied it to five research transects of different ages. Based on the biomass estimates, we created trend curves illustrating the increase in biomass (dependent on age) as well as equations that could be used to roughly estimate the biomass of any dwarf pine stand, regardless of age or canopy level, for sites above the timberline in Hrubý Jesenik Mts. The equations for biomass calculations could also be applied to other mountain ranges where artificially planted dwarf pines of the same seed origin or the same morphological appearance as those existing in the Hrubý Jesenik Mts. are found. Additional key words: dwarf pine, aboveground biomass, issue of indigeneity (originality problem), removal Address: Z. Spinlerova, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Zemědělska 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: zuzana.spinlerova@mendelu.cz