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Improving models of forest nutrient export with equations that predict the nutrient concentration of tree compartments

Établissement d’équations prédisant la concentration en nutriments des compartiments de l’arbre en vue d’une amélioration des modèles d’exportation de nutriments par récolte de biomasse

Annals of Forest Science volume 65, page 808 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • The objective of this study was to explore the distribution of major nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in the aboveground compartments of an intensively managed tree species (Pinus pinaster Ait.). A total of 53 trees were cut down in even-aged stands respectively 8, 16, 26, 32 and 40 years old. The nutrient concentrations of the aboveground compartments were analysed.

  • • Nutrient concentrations of foliage did not vary with any of the variables used, except needle age. Nutrient concentrations of living branches, stem bark, stem sapwood, stem heartwood, stemwood and stem decreased with increasing branch diameter, bark thickness, sapwood thickness and heartwood thickness, respectively. Beyond a certain value of the predictive variable (stem diameter ≈ 15 cm; branch diameter ≈ 2.5 cm), the concentration of all the nutrients stabilised.

  • • A 50 year-old pine stand was used to obtain a validation dataset for nitrogen concentration. For this nutrient, the regression relationships gave satisfactory estimates for most compartments (mean error = 12–25%) and particularly for the stem.

  • • A procedure is proposed to estimate the nutrient exports associated with harvests of Pinus pinaster biomass.

Résumé

  • • L’objectif de cette étude est d’explorer la distribution des éléments majeurs (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) dans les compartiments aériens d’une essence gérée de manière intensive. Au total, 53 pins maritimes (Pinus pinaster Ait.) ont été abattus parmi des peuplements équiennes de 8, 16, 26, 32 et 40 ans.

  • • Les concentrations en nutriments du feuillage ne varient pas pour une classe d’âge d’aiguilles donnée. Les concentrations des branches vivantes, de l’écorce, de l’aubier et du duramen décroissent lorsque le diamètre ou l’épaisseur du compartiment considéré augmente. La concentration de l’ensemble des nutriments devient constante lorsque la variable prédictive (diamètre ou épaisseur) atteint une valeur plateau.

  • • Un jeu de données de validation pour les concentrations en azote, provenant d’un peuplement équienne de pins de 50 ans, permet de confirmer les performances satisfaisantes des modèles construits (erreur moyenne = 12–25 %) et en particulier pour le tronc.

  • • Une procédure d’estimation des exportations de nutriments associées aux récoltes de biomasse de Pinus pinaster est présentée.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR1220 TCEM, INRA, BP81, F-33883, Villenave d’Ornon Cedex, France

    Laurent Augusto & Sylvain Pellerin

  2. UR1263 EPHYSE, INRA, 69 route d’Arcachon, F-33612, Cestas Cedex, France

    Céline Meredieu, Pierre Trichet, Annabel Porté, Alexandre Bosc, Frédéric Lagane, Denis Loustau, Frédéric Danjon & Jacques Gelpe

  3. UMR1202 BIOGECO, INRA, 69 route d’Arcachon, F-33612, Cestas Cedex, France

    Céline Meredieu, Didier Bert, Annabel Porté, Frédéric Lagane & Frédéric Danjon

  4. UR1138 BEF, INRA, F-54280, Champenoux Cedex, France

    Jacques Ranger

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  1. Laurent Augusto
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  2. Céline Meredieu
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  3. Didier Bert
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  4. Pierre Trichet
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  5. Annabel Porté
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  6. Alexandre Bosc
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  7. Frédéric Lagane
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  8. Denis Loustau
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  9. Sylvain Pellerin
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  10. Frédéric Danjon
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  11. Jacques Ranger
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  12. Jacques Gelpe
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Correspondence to Laurent Augusto.

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Augusto, L., Meredieu, C., Bert, D. et al. Improving models of forest nutrient export with equations that predict the nutrient concentration of tree compartments. Ann. For. Sci. 65, 808 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2008059

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X