Tree Allometrics

Acer saccharum / Foliage biomass

NSVB sugar maple, species-level (all ecodivisions): foliage biomass, Schumacher-Hall model (Eq. 1)

Foliage biomassAcer saccharum · SapindaceaeUnited StatesRead from the original paper
Photo of Acer saccharum
Kent P. McFarland · CC0 · iNaturalist
Equation

As printed (Table S9a (Table S9a_foliage_coefs_spcd.csv, WO-GTR-104-Supp1), columns SPCD,DIVISION,STDORGCD,model,a,a1,b,b1,c,c1)

318,,,1,0.162369407,,1.733240679,,0.107905407,

In this library's units, ready to compute (kg)

Foliage biomass = 0.45359237 * 0.162369407 * (D/2.54)^1.733240679 * (H/0.3048)^0.107905407
D
Diameter at breast height (1.3 m), cm
H
Total tree height, m

DBH is measured at 4.5 ft (1.37 m). Paper units: in, ft, lb; expression converts D cm→in (/2.54), H m→ft (/0.3048) and lb→kg (×0.45359237). n and the DBH range are from the scorecard for FOL_DW across ecodivisions (table S13). Species-level row: NSVB applies it in every ecodivision that has no row of its own for this species in this table.

Source
yi = a × Di^b × Hi^c + εi
Equation · Eq. 1, p. 2
Di is diameter (inches) at breast height (4.5 feet), Hi is total tree height (feet)
Units · Methods, Model development, p. 2
units for volume and biomass predictions are cubic feet and pounds, respectively
published.output unit · Examples of tree-level calculations, p. 8
318,sugar maple,N,Acer,saccharum,,,Acer saccharum
Taxon · FIADB REF_SPECIES.csv (FIA DataMart), columns SPCD,COMMON_NAME,SHARED_COMMON_NAME_IND,GENUS,SPECIES,VARIETY,SUBSPECIES,SCIENTIFIC_NAME: the species codes the NSVB tables use
If a species occurs in an ecodivision not explicitly listed, the entry having no ecodivision noted is used.
Where · Results, p. 6
"Foliage","FOL_DW","318",284,9.39647887323944,1,32.8
Fit · Table S13_component_spcd_scorecard.csv (WO-GTR-104-Supp1), columns VAR2,VAR3,SPCD,N,Avg_DBH,Min_DBH,Max_DBH
key modeling statistics such as sample sizes (n), tree diameter distributions (minimum, mean, and maximum)
Fit · Methods, Model development, p. 6
Trees measured
284
DBH range
2.54–83.31 cm
Method
NSVB Schumacher-Hall model (Eq. 1), coefficients for SPCD 318 (species-level row, no DIVISION) from table S9a; fitted with weighted regression to destructively sampled trees
Where
United States, species-level fit (NSVB uses it wherever table S9a has no row for the tree's ecodivision)
Last checked
2026-11-03
Calculate
Height from
8.64
Foliage biomass (kg)
4.06
Carbon (kg), ×0.47
14.9
CO₂e (kg), ×44/12
Fitted DBH range051015202530102030405060DBH (cm)Foliage biomass (kg)Foliage biomass

Shaded: the DBH range the model was fitted on. Other inputs held at the values above.

Checks this equation passes

On every build, the library's form and the paper's own form (in its units) must both give these values within 1%.

InputsExpectedWe getFrom
D = 30.5, H = 21.38.648.64Computed from the printed form
computed from the published form at D = 12 in, H = 70 ft, converted to cm, m and kg

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