Responsible institution: 

Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB)

Coordinator: 

Professor Dr. Alexander Christian Vibrans

Goal:

To develop statistical models to predict total height, volume, tapering and biomass of individual trees to support the elaboration of scientific studies, the generation of population estimates and forest management in Santa Catarina.

Height

The total height of a tree is a difficult variable measured in the field, especially in native forests with tall and closed canopies. More accurate predictions of this variable in the field are usually obtained with the aid of equipment that uses trigonometric relations, such as the hypsometer. However, predicting the heights of all trees on a sample plot using equipment is not feasible. Therefore, based on the heights of more than 2,000 trees measured in the field with the aid of instruments, the IFFSC constructed statistical models to predict total height based on tree diameter, a variable that is more easily obtained in the field. More specifically, the IFFSC focuses on:

(i) developing generic and specific models to predict the height of native species;

(ii) studying the relationship between diameter and height of different species and different forest types.

Publication

Vibrans, A.C.; Moser, P.; Oliveira, L.Z.; Macaneiro, J.P. Height-diameter models for three subtropical forest types in southern Brazil. Ciência e Agrotecnologia, v. 39, p. 205-215, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-70542015000300001

Volume

Information on growing stock volume are essential for forest management and for the formulation of public policies that regulate the use and conservation of forest resources. The IFFSC develops studies about tree volume involving more than 200 native species, among them licurana (Hieronyma alchorneoides) and jacatirão (Miconia cinnamomifolia), two species that produce valuable wood that are abundant in secondary formations of the Evergreen Rainforest in SC. More specifically, the IFFSC focuses on:

(i) developing generic and specific models to predict stem and total volume;

(ii) developing generic and specific stem taper models;

(iii) developing bark factors;

(iv) studying methods for reducing uncertainty in large-scale estimates of volume per unit area.

Publications

Oliveira, L.Z.; Klitzke, A.R.; Fantini, A.C.; Uller, H.F.; Correia, J.; Vibrans, A.C. Robust volumetric models for supporting the management of secondary forest stands in the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, v. 90, p. 3729-3744, 2018.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201820180111 

Vibrans, A.C.; Moser, P.; Oliveira, L.Z.; Maçaneiro, J.P. Generic and specific stem volume models for three subtropical forest types in southern Brazil. Annals of Forest Science, v. 72, p. 865-874, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-015-0481-x

McRoberts, R.E.; Moser, P.; Oliveira, L.Z.; Vibrans, A.C. A general method for assessing the effects of uncertainty in individual tree volume model predictions on large area volume estimates with a sub-tropical forest illustration. Canadian Journal of Forest Research v. 45, p. 44–51, 2015. https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0266

Biomass

Plants capture and store CO2 (carbon dioxide) released by natural biological processes (e.g., respiration, decomposition processes, etc.) and by human activities (e.g., burning fossil fuels, burning forests, etc.). The increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere aggravates greenhouse effects, which leads to an increase in the Earth's temperature, which, in turn, alters a series of natural processes, such as precipitation regimes. Facing the scarcity of information on the biomass of Santa Catarina's forests, the IFFSC destructively quantified the aboveground biomass of more than 100 trees in the Evergreen Forest stand, and thus generated data for the development of statistical models that predict the biomass of a tree based on variables such as diameter, height and wood density. More specifically, the IFFSC focuses on:

(i) developing generic and specific models to predict the aboveground biomass of native species with different life and growth forms;

(ii) studying methods for reducing uncertainty in large-scale estimates of biomass per unit area.

Publications

Uller, H.F.; Oliveira, L.Z.; Klitzke, A.R; Freitas, J.V.; Vibrans, A.C. Biomass models for three species with different growth forms and geographic distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2020-0215

Uller, H.F.; Oliveira, L.Z.; Vibrans, A.C.; Klitzke, A.R; Eleotério, J.R. Aboveground biomass quantification and tree-level prediction models for the Brazilian subtropical Atlantic Forest. Southern Forests, v. 81, p. 261–271, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2019.1581498