The Allometric Equations for Estimating the Leaf Area Index of Community Forest Tree Species

Abstract

Abstract LAI measurement using a direct method is time-consuming, while other instruments like Ceptometer, Hemispherical Photography, and LI-COR require high investment. This study aims to develop allometric equations for estimating the LAI of community forest tree species. Destructive sampling was conducted on 45 trees from three different species, i.e., Tectona grandis, Swietenia macrophylla, and Falcataria moluccana . The allometric equations were developed using regression analysis with two predictor variables, namely diameter at breast height ( D ) and tree height ( H ). LAI varied among species, wherein the highest average of LAI was recorded in S. macrophylla (1.03±0.03), followed by T. grandis (0.28±0.07) and F. moluccana (0.23±0.03). Our study found that the equation LAI = 0.01 D 1.15 was reliable as a generalized allometric equation to estimate the LAI of three species with an RMSE of 0.39. We concluded that the allometric equation could facilitate LAI estimation in community forests.

Keywords

• Efficiency
• LAI
• model
• photosynthesis
• reliability