Baldwin, V. C., Jr., K. D. Peterson, H. E. Burkhart, R. L. Amatais, and
P. M. Dougherty. 1997. Equation for Estimating Loblolly Pine Branch and
Foliage Weight and Surface Area Distributions.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research. (in press).
The individual tree process model MAESTRO, a
component of Module 1 of
the Integrated Modeling Project (IMP) requires functions that describe the
vertical and horizontal distributions of leaf area, and the vertical
distribution of branch surface area, of individual loblolly pine trees
within a stand. A right truncated Weibull function is used for
describing vertical foliage distributions ensuring that all foliage
between the tip and foliage base is included for each tree. The
distribution parameters for each tree are predicted from easily measured
tree variables. Foliage weight and surface area prediction equations
contain a day-of-year variable to account for phenological changes during
the period of maximum foliation. New equations to predict branch weight
and surface area are also developed.