Influence of section lengths on volume determination in eucalyptus trees

Carlos Pedro Boechat Soares,Fabrina Bolzan Martins,Gilson Fernandes Da Silva

doi:10.1590/s0104-77602010000200006

Carlos Pedro Boechat Soares, Fabrina Bolzan Martins + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-77602010000200006

Copy DOI

Abstract

The aim of this work was to assess the influence of different section lengths on the determination of eucalyptus tree stem (with bark) volumes and its implications in forest inventory procedures. The 40 Eucalyptus grandis trees used, all from the municipality of Viçosa, Minas Gerais state, were 77 months old. The volume of the stems (with bark), whose maximum diameter was 3,0 cm, was obtained through the Smalian formula, with sections 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 m long. Longer sections lead to overestimations of the volume of the trees' basal part and, consequently, of their total volume. Different statistical tests led to different conclusions regarding the similar volume estimates resulting from experiments using different section lengths4. Volumetric equations adjusted with longer sections may introduce bias errors in forest inventory procedures.

Highlights

The main objective of forest surveys is to quantify volumetric stock
Goulding (1979) and Husch et al (1982) affirm that Newton’s is the most precise formula, as it takes into account the different forms the tree stem can assume: cone, paraboloid, neiloid and cylinder
The aim of this work was to assess the influence of section length in determining the volume of individual eucalyptus trees and its implications on forest inventory procedures, and to assess the sensitivity of different statistical tests to the similar volume results obtained in experiments with different section lengths

Summary

Introduction

In order to do this, sample-based inventory procedures are used, in which tree volume is determined through volumetric equations and other procedures, such as volume ratio or taper models (CAMPOS & LEITE, 2006). The most widely used procedure is that of volumetric equations, usually adjusted by using data from scaling of the sample trees (SOARES et al, 2006). The most widely used are Newton’s, Huber’s and Smalian’s formulas (FINGER, 1992). Goulding (1979) and Husch et al (1982) affirm that Newton’s is the most precise formula, as it takes into account the different forms the tree stem can assume: cone, paraboloid, neiloid and cylinder. Finger (1992) highlights that the Huber and Smalian formulas are precise only when the stem resembles a paraboloid

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion