Quantifying diameter distributions in seasonally dry tropical forest in Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the diametric structure of a seasonally dry tropical forest in Bahia and to select the best functions for the stand and species of greater importance. Two subsets were selected for fitting and validation from pre- and post-selective harvest inventories. Normal, Log-normal functions were tested; Gamma, Weibull 2P, and Weibull 3P. The best fits were selected using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for Akaike information criterion. Negative exponential curves and positive skewness best described the diameter distribution. This behavior was observed for the species with the highest IV and the stand. The Log-normal function best describes the diametric structure of Commiphora leptophioeeos, Manihot catingae, and Pataggonula bahiensis. It is recommended to individually describe the diameter structures of Aspidosperma pyrifolium, Pseudobombax simplicifolium, and population by the Weibull 3P function. The Normal, Gamma, and Weibull 2P functions did not present feasible predictions for frequencies of the diameter classes in all analyzed cases.