Conversion Parameters for Stand Biomass Estimation of Four Subtropical Forests in Southern China

Abstract

Even though the National Forest Resource Inventory (NFRI) does not provide detailed forest biomass information directly, the NFRI data are useful for estimating forest biomass and carbon stocks by using conversion parameters. However, the accuracy and errors of this approach for estimating the stand biomass of subtropical forests remain unclear. In this study, we selected four typical subtropical forests (Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation, Pinus massoniana evergreen coniferous forest, Choerospondias axillaris deciduous broadleaved forest, and Lithocarpus glaber–Cyclobalanopsis glauca evergreen broadleaved forest) in Dashanchong Forest Park to calculate the biomass expansion factor (BEF) and the root:shoot ratio (R). Our results showed that the average BEF values for the four forests were 1.144, 1.301, 1.592 and 1.396, respectively, while the average R values were 0.197, 0.192, 0.226 and 0.221, respectively. These results may be important for estimating forest biomass in the subtropical zone of southern China.