EVALUATION OF NON-LINEAR TAPER EQUATIONS FOR PREDICTING THE DIAMETER OF EUCALYPTUS TREES

• Autor(a) principal: Souza,Guilherme Silverio Aquino de
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Cosenza,Diogo Nepomuceno, Araújo,Ana Carolina da Silva Cardoso, Pimenta,Lucas Veiga Ayres, Souza,Ramon Barreto, Almeida,Filipe Monteiro, Leite,Helio Garcia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Árvore (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-67622018000100201
• topic: Regression analysis; Variable exponent model; Genotypes

ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate non-linear stem taper models for predicting the pre-commercial diameter of eucalyptus trees and to analyze the effect of genotype on stem taper. The treatments comprise three different genotypes of Eucalyptus sp. in a 3 × 3 m plantation spacing. Seventy sample trees aged 10 years were felled for each treatment. The outside bark diameter measurements were taken at 0.5 m; 1.0 m; 1.5 m; 2.0 m, and then at intervals of 2.0 m till the top of the stem. Four non-linear models were evaluated, namely, the sigmoid model of Garay (1979), the variable exponent model of Kozak (1988), the segmented model of Max and Burkhart (1976), and the compatible model of Demaerschalk (1972). The performance of the models was assessed using the following statistical validation methods: correlation coefficient, standard error of estimate, mean bias, bias variance, root mean squared error, and mean absolute deviation. Graphical analysis of residues was used to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the estimates. Compared with other models, the variable exponent model of Kozak (1988) best described the stem profile, and predicted the total volume of the trees. The identity test showed that the stem profile is affected by the genotype.