Crown Biomass Relationships of Lebanon Oak in Northern Zagros Forests of Iran

Abstract

Allometric relationships for estimating the biomass of the crown of Lebanon oak (Quercus libani Oliv.) have been developed through using biometric parameters such as the diameter at breast height, tree height, crown length, and crown width. The study was conducted in Ar­mardeh forests in Iran’s northern Zagros mountains; for a long time the local people have been pollarding the crown of oak trees in these forests for their traditional uses. After the local people entirely cut the crowns of 48 sample trees, the weight of the crowns and their constitut­ing components (leaves and branches) were measured. The results showed that the amount of the crown biomass of Lebanon oak at the stand level is about 4.98±0.81 tons ha (95% confidence interval), 79% of which are branches and the rest are leaves. All the equations, representing the relationships between biometric parameters and the biomass of the crown or its com­ponents, were highly significant (p<0.001), and the adjusted coefficient of determination (R) was in the range of 0.51–0.65. The most suitable relationship was a multiple regression between the crown width and the tree height, as independent variables, with the crown biomass, as the dependent variable (R2adj = 0.65). These relationships can be helpful for evaluating the crown biomass production of Lebanon oak, and can be useful for planning a sustainable forest man­agement.