Author(s)

Tekleweini Gereslassie¹, Ababo Workineh¹, Goitom Takele², Muhamed Adem³, Leakemariam Berhe^2*

¹Department of Pollution Ecology, Institute of Wuhan Botanical Garden, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Wuhan, China.
²Department of Forestry, Wondogenet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene, Ethiopia.
³Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Madawalabu University, Bale Robe, Ethiopia.

Species specific allometric equations are important for estimation and quantification of net volume and aboveground biomass of living trees. This study was basically focused on fitting total volume and aboveground biomass models for Juniperus procera plantations in Wondo Genet, Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. Data for fitting the total volume and aboveground biomass models were obtained by destructively sampling of trees from the ten diameter classes of the Juniperus procera plantation in the study area. A total of one hundred ten and fifty-one trees were destructively sampled to fit six total volume and six aboveground biomass models respectively. After important measurements of parameters have completed, model performance evaluation and selecting of best fit models were undertaken using standard error of estimates (SEE), coefficient of determination (R²), bias (B) and mean of the absolute value of errors (MAE). Accordingly, the total volume model Vt = -5.466 + 0.959Dbh^0.005H⁰⁰³ and aboveground biomass model of B = 0.348Dbh^0.57H^0.032 were found to be the best predictive models for total tree volume and aboveground biomass respectively. In addition to the above results, diameter at breast height and total tree height data obtained from 69 circular sample plots of 0.01 ha area drawn from the plantation were used to estimate the total volume and aboveground biomass per hectare BEF which was estimated to be 0.64 Mg/m³. Generally, the selected models and computed BEF in this study are believed to be applied by different organisations and researches to estimate the total volume and aboveground biomass of the J. procera.

Biomass Expansion Factor, Biomass Models, Total Volume Models, Juniperus procera

Gereslassie, T. , Workineh, A. , Takele, G. , Adem, M. and Berhe, L. (2019) Total Volume and Aboveground Biomass Models for Juniperus procera Plantation in Wondo Genet, Southern Ethiopia. Open Journal of Forestry, 9, 89-108. doi: 10.4236/ojf.2019.92004.