RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 One model to rule them all: A nationwide height–diameter model for 91 Spanish forest species
A1 Vázquez Veloso, Aitor
A1 Yang, Sheng I.
A1 Bullock, Bronson P.
A1 Bravo Oviedo, Felipe
K1 Nonlinear mixed-effects models
K1 Spanish national forest inventory
K1 Mixed forests
K1 Tree allometry
K1 Height–diameter relationship
AB Accurately characterizing tree allometry is essential for sustainable forest management to predict forest growthand yield, monitor long-term stand dynamics and assess the impacts of disturbances. Among different allometricattributes, past studies have focused on understanding the relationships between tree height and diameter atbreast height (dbh), also known as height–diameter (h–d) relationships. Both variables are commonly used toestimate and predict tree and stand metrics (e.g., total volume, biomass and carbon) as well as to assess siteproductivity. Under limited budget and time constraints, h–d models, which predict tree heights using dbhmeasurements, provide a practical and cost-effective alternative. In this study, a mixed-effects h–d model wasdeveloped for making species-specific predictions for 91 tree species across broad geographic areas in Spain.A total of 1,512,721 observations were collected from the Spanish National Forest Inventory sample plots foranalysis.Results indicate that the final model, selected from a pool of 95 candidates, provides unbiased predictionsof total tree height based on the 95% confidence interval of mean bias. In addition to dbh, the inclusion of sitequalitative variables (stand origin, species mixture and biogeographic region) in the model plays an importantrole in improving the model predictability. For a given tree dbh, trees in plantations and pure stands tend toachieve greater heights than those in natural and mixed stands. Regional variation is species-dependent, whilethe Alpine region with a higher wind speed and cooler temperature tends to exhibit shorter trees compared toother regions. The proposed models are simple in structure and rely on easily-obtainable predictors, makingthem useful for field application and minimizing the need for complex measurements. This study providesan alternative quantitative tool for forest practitioners and managers when predicting total tree heights fordiverse forest ecosystems across a wide range of geographic regions.
PB Elsevier
SN 0378-1127
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78519
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78519
LA eng
NO Forest Ecology and Management, 2025, vol. 595, p. 122981
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 09-oct-2025