Biometric Relationships for Estimating Standing Biomass, Litterfall and Litter Accumulation of Acacia salicina on Mined Land in Central Queensland

Abstract

Basal stem diameter was found to be a good predictor of above-ground biomass, canopy litterfall and mass of the accumulated litter layer for Acacia salicina Lindl., a tree that establishes successfully on mined land in central Queensland. The relationship between stem diameter and both biomass and litterfall was best described by an exponential model, and was related to exponential expansion of the canopy as tree diameter increased. In contrast, a simple linear model was used to describe the relationship between stem diameter and accumulated litter, partly reflecting a constant rate of litterfall per unit area of canopy over the range of tree sizes. The models were developed as a means of estimating biomass and nutrient capital and cycling in reconstructed ecosystems following open-cut coal mining.