Methods and equations for estimating aboveground volume, biomass, and carbon for trees in the U.S. forest inventory, 2010

Abstract

The U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program uses numerous models and associated coefficients to estimate aboveground volume, biomass, and carbon for live and standing dead trees for most tree species in forests of the United States. The tree attribute models are coupled with FIA's national inventory of sampled trees to produce estimates of tree growing-stock volume, biomass, and carbon, which are available in the Forest Inventory and Analysis database (FIADB; https://www.fia.fs.usda.gov/tools-data/). To address an increasing need for accurate and easy-to-use documentation of relevant tree attribute models, needed individual tree gross volume, sound volume, biomass (including components), and carbon models for species in the United States are compiled and described in this publication with accompanying electronic files on a CD-ROM (13.4 MB Zip) included with the publication. This report describes models currently in use as of 2010. These models are subject to change as the FIADB and associated tree attribute models are improved.