Trade‐offs between carbon stocks and timber recovery in tropical forests are mediated by logging intensity

Forest degradation accounts for ~70% of total carbon losses from tropical forests. Substantial emissions are from selective logging, a land‐use activity that decreases forest carbon density. To maintain carbon values in selectively logged forests, climate change mitigation policies and government agencies promote the adoption of reduced‐impact logging (RIL) practices. However, whether RIL will maintain both carbon and timber values in managed tropical forests over time remains uncertain. In this study, we quantify the recovery of timber stocks and aboveground carbon at an experimental site where forests were subjected to different intensities of RIL (4, 8, and 16 trees/ha). Our census data span 20 years postlogging and 17 years after the liberation of future crop trees from competition in a tropical forest on the Guiana Shield, a globally important forest carbon reservoir. We model recovery of timber and carbon with a breakpoint regression that allowed us to capture elevated tree mortality immediately after logging. Recovery rates of timber and carbon were governed by the presence of residual trees (i.e., trees that persisted through the first harvest). The liberation treatment stimulated faster recovery of timber albeit at a carbon cost. Model results suggest a threshold logging intensity beyond which forests managed for timber and carbon derive few benefits from RIL, with recruitment and residual growth not sufficient to offset losses. Inclusion of the breakpoint at which carbon and timber gains outpaced postlogging mortality led to high predictive accuracy, including out‐of‐sample R² values >90%, and enabled inference on demographic changes postlogging. Our modeling framework is broadly applicable to studies that aim to quantify impacts of logging on forest recovery. Overall, we demonstrate that initial mortality drives variation in recovery rates, that the second harvest depends on old growth wood, and that timber intensification lowers carbon stocks.     

Silvicultural intensification for tropical forest conservation

Minimizing the deleterious environmental impacts of logging and other silvicultural treatments is the primary conservation goal in tropical forests managed for timber production. While it is always environmentally beneficial to minimize unnecessary damage, more intensive silviculture should not be discouraged in tropical forests in which regeneration and growth of commercially valuable timber species requires such treatments. Failing to regenerate commercial species may render forests more susceptible to conversion to other, more lucrative land uses. Increasing the intensity of silviculture may also decrease the total area of forest exploited for timber, thereby reducing the impacts of over-hunting, timber theft, wildfires, colonization, and conversion, which are facilitated by the increased accessibility of logged areas.     

Impacts of Selective Logging and Agricultural Clearing on Forest Structure, Floristic Composition and Diversity, and Timber Tree Regeneration in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mature tropical forests at agricultural frontiers are of global conservation concern as the leading edge of global deforestation. In the Ituri Forest of DRC, as in other tropical forest areas, road creation associated with selective logging results in spontaneous human colonization, leading to the clearing of mature forest for agricultural purposes. Following 1-3 years of cultivation, farmlands are left fallow for periods that may exceed 20 years, resulting in extensive secondary forest areas impacted by both selective logging and swidden agriculture. In this study, we assessed forest structure, tree species composition and diversity and the regeneration of timber trees in secondary forest stands (5-10 and ~40 years old), selectively logged forest stands, and undisturbed forests at two sites in the Ituri region. Stem density was lower in old secondary forests (~40 years old) than in either young secondary or mature forests. Overall tree diversity did not significantly differ between forest types, but the diversity of trees ≥10 cm dbh was substantially lower in young secondary forest stands than in old secondary or mature forests. The species composition of secondary forests differed from that of mature forests, with the dominant Caesalpinoid legume species of mature forests poorly represented in secondary forests. However, in spite of prior logging, the regeneration of high value timber trees such as African mahoganies (Khaya anthotheca and Entandrophragma spp.) was at least 10 times greater in young secondary forests than in mature forests. We argue that, if properly managed and protected, secondary forests, even those impacted by both selective logging and small-scale shifting agriculture, may have high potential conservation and economic value.     

Impacts of selective logging on inbreeding and gene flow in two Amazonian timber species with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics

Selective logging in Brazil allows for the removal of up to 90% of trees above 50 cm diameter of a given timber species, independent of a species’ life history characteristics or how quickly it will recover. The genetic and demographic effects of selective logging on two Amazonian timber species (Dipteryx odorata Leguminosae, Jacaranda copaia Bignoniaceae) with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics were assessed in the same forest. Genetic diversity and gene flow were characterized by genotyping adults and seed sampled before and after logging, using hypervariable microsatellite markers. Overall, there were no short‐term genetic impacts on the J. copaia population, with commercial application of current Brazilian forest management regulations. In contrast, for D. Odorata, selective logging showed a range of genetic impacts, with a 10% loss of alleles, and reductions in siring by pollen from trees within the 546‐ha study area (23–11%) and in the number of pollen donors per progeny array (2.8–1.6), illustrating the importance of the surrounding landscape. Asynchrony in flowering between D. odorata trees led to trees with no breeding partners, which could limit the species reproduction and regeneration under current regulations. The results are summarized with other published studies from the same site and the implications for forest management discussed. The different types and levels of impacts associated with each species support the idea that ecological and genetic information by species, ecological guild or reproductive group is essential in helping to derive sustainable logging guidelines for tropical forests.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of forest canopy gaps following selective logging in the eastern Amazon

Selective logging is a dominant form of land use in the Amazon basin and throughout the humid tropics, yet little is known about the spatial variability of forest canopy gap formation and closure following timber harvests. We established chronosequences of large‐area (14–158 ha) selective logging sites spanning a 3.5‐year period of forest regeneration and two distinct harvest methods: conventional logging (CL) and reduced‐impact logging (RIL). Our goals were to: (1) determine the spatial characteristics of canopy gap fraction immediately following selective logging in the eastern Amazon; (2) determine the degree and rate of canopy closure in early years following harvest among the major landscape features associated with logging – tree falls, roads, skid trails and log decks; and (3) quantify spatial and temporal differences in canopy opening and closure in high‐ and low‐damage harvests (CL vs. RIL). Across a wide range of harvest intensities (2.6–6.4 felled trees ha^?1), the majority of ground damage occurred as skid trails (4–12%), whereas log decks and roads were only a small contributor to the total ground damage (<2%). Despite similar timber harvest intensities, CL resulted in more ground damage than RIL. Neither the number of log decks nor their individual or total area was correlated with the number of trees removed or intensity of tree harvesting (trees ha^?1). The area of skids was well correlated with the ground area damaged (m²) per tree felled. In recently logged forest (0.5 years postharvest), gap fractions were highest in log decks (mean RIL=0.83, CL=0.99) and lowest in tree‐fall areas (RIL: 0.26, CL: 0.41). However, the small surface area of log decks made their contribution to the total area‐integrated forest gap fraction minor. In contrast, tree falls accounted for more than two‐thirds of the area disturbed, but the canopy gaps associated with felled trees were much smaller than for log decks, roads and skids. Canopy openings decreased in size with distance from each felled tree crown. At 0.5 years postharvest, the area initially affected by the felling of each tree was approximately 100 m in radius for CL and 50 m for RIL. Initial decreases in gap fraction during the first 1.5 years of regrowth diminished in subsequent years. Throughout the 3.5‐year period of forest recovery, tree‐fall gap fractions remained higher in CL than in RIL treatments, but canopy gap closure rates were higher in CL than in RIL areas. During the observed recovery period, the canopy gap area affected by harvesting decreased in radius around each felled tree from 100 to 40 m in CL, and from 50 to 10 m in RIL. The results suggest that the full spatial and temporal dynamics of canopy gap fraction must be understood and monitored to predict the effects of selective logging on regional energy balance and climate regimes, biogeochemical processes including carbon cycling, and plant and faunal population dynamics. This paper also shows that remote sensing of log decks alone will not provide an accurate assessment of total forest area impacted by selective logging, nor will it be closely correlated to damage levels and canopy gap closure rates.     

Effects of harvesting impacts and rehabilitation of tropical rain forest

The tropical forest is decreasing at a rate of 16.9 million hectares per year and forest land is converted to agricultural land, pasture and plantation. Decrease and degradation of the tropical forest affects not only the production of timber but also the global environment. Environmental changes must be initiated by forest harvesting. The felled trees are all large emergents with wide crowns, and when they fall they destroy a considerable amount of the forest's standing trees. Many seedlings are destroyed after harvesting because the tractor trail is constructed at the center of seedling distribution. Severe variations of changes in soil properties are caused by the removal or the deposition of topsoil by a tractor. Carbon and nitrogen loss from topsoil are estimated about 19.1 and 0.05 ton/ha respectively. Seedings and saplings before harvesting can not be expected to grow and alternate dominant individuals. However, tropical rain forest plays a key role in maintaining the global carbon balance. Rehabilitation of logged over forest or afforestation of degraded land must be applied using adequate silvicultural treatments.     

Modeling the Complex Impacts of Timber Harvests to Find Optimal Management Regimes for Amazon Tidal Floodplain Forests

At the Amazon estuary, the oldest logging frontier in the Amazon, no studies have comprehensively explored the potential long-term population and yield consequences of multiple timber harvests over time. Matrix population modeling is one way to simulate long-term impacts of tree harvests, but this approach has often ignored common impacts of tree harvests including incidental damage, changes in post-harvest demography, shifts in the distribution of merchantable trees, and shifts in stand composition. We designed a matrix-based forest management model that incorporates these harvest-related impacts so resulting simulations reflect forest stand dynamics under repeated timber harvests as well as the realities of local smallholder timber management systems. Using a wide range of values for management criteria (e.g., length of cutting cycle, minimum cut diameter), we projected the long-term population dynamics and yields of hundreds of timber management regimes in the Amazon estuary, where small-scale, unmechanized logging is an important economic activity. These results were then compared to find optimal stand-level and species-specific sustainable timber management (STM) regimes using a set of timber yield and population growth indicators. Prospects for STM in Amazonian tidal floodplain forests are better than for many other tropical forests. However, generally high stock recovery rates between harvests are due to the comparatively high projected mean annualized yields from fast-growing species that effectively counterbalance the projected yield declines from other species. For Amazonian tidal floodplain forests, national management guidelines provide neither the highest yields nor the highest sustained population growth for species under management. Our research shows that management guidelines specific to a region’s ecological settings can be further refined to consider differences in species demographic responses to repeated harvests. In principle, such fine-tuned management guidelines could make management more attractive, thus bridging the currently prevalent gap between tropical timber management practice and regulation.     

兴安落叶松老龄林落叶松林木死亡格局以及倒木对更新的影响

对兴安落叶松老龄林落叶松林木死亡格局和死亡木对更新的影响进行了研究 .结果表明 ,丛桦落叶松林和杜香落叶松林的枯立木以中径木占多数 ,赤杨落叶松林主要为中、大径木 ,草类落叶松林主要是中、小径木 .落叶松枯立木主要因火烧、受压和老死而形成 .丛桦落叶松林和赤杨落叶松林掘根倒木较多 .杜香落叶松林和草类落叶松林的倒木以风折为主 .地形、山体走向和盛行风向对树倒方向影响很大 .丛桦落叶松林倒木方向杂乱 ,赤杨落叶松林林木均向东倒下 ,杜香落叶松林和草类落叶松林的掘根木分别向南、东北方倒下 ,两者的风折木倒向随机性较大 .草类落叶松和赤杨落叶松老龄林内 ,倒木更新为 1 8和 40株·m- 2 ,远远高于矿物土基质上 2株·m- 2 的水平 .丛桦落叶松林内倒木和林地上更新均相当好 ,约为 2 8株·m- 2 .杜香落叶松林倒木更新效果不突出 .     

Damaged forests provide an opportunity to mitigate climate change

British Columbia (BC) forests are estimated to have become a net carbon source in recent years due to tree death and decay caused primarily by mountain pine beetle (MPB) and related post‐harvest slash burning practices. BC forest biomass has also become a major source of wood pellets, exported primarily for bioenergy to Europe, although the sustainability and net carbon emissions of forest bioenergy in general are the subject of current debate. We simulated the temporal carbon balance of BC wood pellets against different reference scenarios for forests affected by MPB in the interior BC timber harvesting area using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM‐CFS3). We evaluated the carbon dynamics for different insect‐mortality levels, at the stand‐ and landscape level, taking into account carbon storage in the ecosystem, wood products and fossil fuel displacement. Our results indicate that current harvesting practices, in which slash is burnt and only sawdust used for pellet production, require between 20–25 years for beetle‐impacted pine and 37–39 years for spruce‐dominated systems to reach pre‐harvest carbon levels (i.e. break‐even) at the stand‐level. Using pellets made from logging slash to replace coal creates immediate net carbon benefits to the atmosphere of 17–21 tonnes C ha^?1, shortening these break‐even times by 9–20 years and resulting in an instant carbon break‐even level on stands most severely impacted by the beetle. Harvesting pine dominated sites for timber while using slash for bioenergy was also found to be more carbon beneficial than a protection reference scenario on both stand‐ and landscape level. However, harvesting stands exclusively for bioenergy resulted in a net carbon source unless the system contained a high proportion of dead trees (>85%). Systems with higher proportions of living trees provide a greater climate change mitigation if used for long lived wood products.     

Cordia millenii: on the risk of local extinction?

Selective logging of valuable tropical timber trees is a conservation concern because it threatens the long-term sustainability of forests. However, there is insufficient information regarding the postlogging recovery of harvested species. Here, I assessed the seed dispersal patterns, recruitment and abundance of Cordia millenii , a valuable timber tree in two Ugandan tropical rain forests that have been subjected to varying disturbance regimes. The aim was to determine the vulnerability of Cordia in these forests. The rate of seed dispersal was lower in the heavily disturbed Mabira Forest compared with the less disturbed Budongo Forest. Frugivores in Mabira were small-bodied individuals that spat seeds beneath fruiting trees, whereas 90% of the fruit in Budongo was consumed by large-bodied chimpanzees that disperse seeds over long distances. Juveniles of Cordia were not found in the closed forest, although they were found in forest gaps in Budongo but not Mabira. Mature tree density was higher in Budongo compared with Mabira. Lack of effective seed dispersal coupled with the inability of seedlings of Cordia to establish under closed canopy account for the arrested recruitment in Mabira. Enrichment planting in felling gaps is necessary to avoid local extinction of Cordia in forests without large vertebrates.     

Effect of Host Tree Traits on Epiphyte Diversity in Natural and Anthropogenic Habitats in Ecuador

Vascular epiphytes represent a highly diverse element of tropical rain forests, but they depend strongly on the structure and taxonomic composition of their tree communities. For conservation planning, it is therefore critical to understand the effect of host tree characteristics on epiphyte species richness in natural and anthropogenically transformed vegetation. Our study compares the effect of human land‐use on epiphyte diversity based on 220 study plots in a lowland rain forest and an Andean cloud forest in western Ecuador. We evaluate the relevance of host tree size and taxonomic identity for epiphyte species richness in contiguous primary forests, forest fragments, isolated remnant trees (IRTs), and secondary forests. At both study sites, epiphyte diversity was highest in primary forests, and it was lowest on IRTs and in secondary forests. Epiphyte species numbers of forest fragments were significantly reduced compared with the contiguous primary forest at the lowland study site, but not in the cloud forest area. Host tree size was a core predictor among secondary forests, but it had less significance within other habitat types. Taxonomic identity of the host trees also explained up to 61 percent of the variation in epiphyte diversity, especially for IRTs. The structural and taxonomic composition of the tree community in anthropogenically transformed habitat types proved to be fundamental to epiphyte diversity. This highlights the importance of deliberate selection of tree species for reforestation in conservation programs and the possible negative effects of selective logging in primary forests. Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell‐synergy.com/loi/btp .     

Recovery of tree and mammal communities during large‐scale forest regeneration in Kibale National Park,Uganda

Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly as a result of human modifications; however, despite increasing deforestation, human population growth, and the need for more agricultural land, deforestation rates have exceeded the rate at which land is converted to cropland or pasture. For deforested lands to have conservation value requires an understanding of regeneration rates of vegetation, the rates at which animals colonize and grow in regenerating areas, and the nature of interactions between plants and animals in the specific region. Here, we present data on forest regeneration and animal abundance at four regenerating sites that had reached the stage of closed canopy forest where the average dbh of the trees was 17 cm. Overall, 20.3 percent of stems were wind‐dispersed species and 79.7 percent were animal‐dispersed species, while in the old‐growth forest 17.3 percent of the stems were wind‐dispersed species. The regenerating forest supported a substantial primate population and encounter rate (groups per km walked) in the regenerating sites was high compared to the neighboring old‐growth forests. By monitoring elephant tracks for 10 yr, we demonstrated that elephant numbers increased steadily over time, but they increased dramatically since 2004. In general, the richness of the mammal community detected by sight, tracks, feces, and/or camera traps, was high in regenerating forests compared to that documented for the national park. We conclude that in Africa, a continent that has seen dramatic declines in the area of old‐growth forest, there is ample opportunity to reclaim degraded areas and quickly restore substantial animal populations.     

Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration to Restore Degraded Tropical Forestlands

Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) is a simple, low‐cost forest restoration method that can effectively convert deforested lands of degraded vegetation to more productive forests. The method aims to accelerate, rather than replace, natural successional processes by removing or reducing barriers to natural forest regeneration such as soil degradation, competition with weedy species, and recurring disturbances (e.g., fire, grazing, and wood harvesting). Compared to conventional reforestation methods involving planting of tree seedlings, ANR offers significant cost advantages because it reduces or eliminates the costs associated with propagating, raising, and planting seedlings. It is most effectively utilized at the landscape level in restoring the protective functions of forests such as watershed protection and soil conservation. ANR techniques are flexible and allow for the integration of various values such as timber production, biodiversity recovery, and cultivation of crops, fruit trees, and non‐timber forest products in the restored forest. This paper describes the steps of applying ANR and conditions under which it will be most effective. It also discusses ANR’s comparative advantages as well as some of its constraints.     

Short‐term effect of selection cutting in boreal balsam fir forest on cerambycid and scolytid beetles

The ecology and management of boreal forest ecosystems are drawing greater attention worldwide as their importance is being increasingly recognized for carbon sequestration or for harbouring the world's largest remaining intact forests. Selection cuts have been introduced as a more socially acceptable silvicultural method to improve the maintenance of habitat structure and functions as they mimic aspects of boreal forest succession dynamics. Many studies have shown that selection cutting helps maintaining arthropod communities in mature forests, but few have examined the increased risks of damage by bark‐ and wood‐boring insects in boreal forests of eastern North America. We used multidirectional flight‐interception traps to quantify the response of these beetles to 25 and 40% selection cutting in a balsam fir–white birch forest of Québec, Canada. The abundance and species number of both cerambycid and scolytid beetles were 5–6 times larger in selectively cut stands than in controls the year following treatments. Analyses revealed that bark‐ and wood‐boring beetles’ response was mostly associated with increased canopy openness in selectively cut stands (and sun‐exposed locations within them) and residual tree injuries caused by harvesting operations. These conditions attracted beetles such as Trypodendron lineatum (Scolytinae) and Rhagium inquisitor (Cerambycidae), two species known for their ability to attack weakened, dying and dead hosts. Most species were more abundant in selection cuts, except for Evodinus m. monticola (Cerambycidae) whose abundance was strongly reduced after treatment. Some beetles can have detrimental effects on residual trees and thus could reduce timber value, but most species found in treated stands do not represent a high risk for healthy trees. Thus, selection cuts do not seem favourable to the establishment of tree‐killing beetles. However, as they were found more active/abundant after selection cutting, it would be wise to further study their population dynamics over mid‐ and long‐term periods, along with the ecological and economic implications associated with this silvicultural treatment.     

Response of tree-ring width to climate warming and selective logging in larch forests of the Mongolian Altai

Aims The Mongolian Altai is an old settlement area, which is populated by pastoral nomads since 2000–3000 years. Forests in this region (at ca. 2300 m a.s.l.) are highly fragmented and border on steppe and alpine grasslands, which are used for mobile livestock husbandry. The climate in Central Asia is warming to levels clearly above the global average, which affects the vegetation. Furthermore, the transition from planned to market economy and the decollectivization of livestock 20 years ago has strongly changed land use practices in Mongolia, especially resulting in an increase in recent logging activities. We were interested in the question how climate warming and selective logging influence the annual stem growth and the stand structure.Methods The impact of climate and land use by the pastoral nomads on the annual stem increment of more than 1800 trees of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) was analyzed. Different groups of trees with divergent growth trends depending on the social position and stand history were identified by non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarities. Long-term trends in the annual stem increment were analyzed by establishing separate regional growth curves for trees of different age classes.Important findings Instrumental climate data substantiate an increase of temperature by 2.1°C since 1940 at constant precipitation. Trees benefit from the increased temperatures. Climate–response analysis revealed that radial stem increment was promoted by the temperature in early summer, but also high precipitation in spring and in the year before tree-ring formation. Forest dynamics is also strongly influenced by anthropogenic activities. In addition to the natural forest dynamics, logging resulted in divergent growth trends within given age classes and habitats (forest interior and forest edge); overall, 22 groups of trees with different characteristics in the annual radial stem increment were identified. A tree-ring series-based reconstruction of logging intensity since 1935 suggests that moderate selective logging occurred throughout the study period. However, selective logging was strongly intensified after 1990 as the result of the breakdown of the Communist regime in Mongolia and the transition from centrally planned to market economy. Because tree stump densities showed that the ratio of felled to live trees was 2:1 in the interior or even 0.9:1 at the edges of the forests and most logging occurred during the past 20 years, it must be concluded that the forests of the Mongolian Altai are presently exploited far beyond the level of sustainability. A close correlation of the ratio of felled to live trees with the density of summer camps of pastoral nomads in the vicinity suggests that trees are primarily felled by the local population.     

Net change in carbon emissions with increased wood energy use in the United States

Use of wood biomass for energy results in carbon (C) emissions at the time of burning and alters C stocks on the land because of harvest, regrowth, and changes in land use or management. This study evaluates the potential effects of expanded woody biomass energy use (for heat and power) on net C emissions over time. A scenario with increased wood energy use is compared with a dynamic business-as-usual scenario where wood energy use is driven by its historical relationship with gross domestic product. At the national level, we projected that up to 78% of increased cumulative C emissions from increased wood burning and up to 80% of increased cumulative radiative forcing would be offset over 50 years by change in forest area loss, biomass regrowth on land, C storage in harvested wood products, and C in logging slash left in forests. For example, forest area is projected to decline in both scenarios, but 3.5 million hectares more are retained in the high wood energy-use case. Projected C offsets over a 50 year period differed substantially by US region (16% in the North, 50% in the West, and 95% in the South) not only because of differences in forest regrowth and induced investment in retaining and planting forest, but also because of shifts in competitive advantage among regions in producing various wood products. If wood systems displace coal systems that have 75% of the C emissions of wood energy systems per unit energy, then the nationwide net C emissions offset would be reduced to 71–74%. If displacing natural gas systems that have 40% of the level of wood bioenergy emissions per unit energy, the nationwide net C emissions offset would be 46–52%.     

Where are Europe’s last primary forests?

Aim

Primary forests have high conservation value but are rare in Europe due to historic land use. Yet many primary forest patches remain unmapped, and it is unclear to what extent they are effectively protected. Our aim was to (1) compile the most comprehensive European‐scale map of currently known primary forests, (2) analyse the spatial determinants characterizing their location and (3) locate areas where so far unmapped primary forests likely occur.

Location

Europe.

Methods

We aggregated data from a literature review, online questionnaires and 32 datasets of primary forests. We used boosted regression trees to explore which biophysical, socio‐economic and forest‐related variables explain the current distribution of primary forests. Finally, we predicted and mapped the relative likelihood of primary forest occurrence at a 1‐km resolution across Europe.

Results

Data on primary forests were frequently incomplete or inconsistent among countries. Known primary forests covered 1.4 Mha in 32 countries (0.7% of Europe’s forest area). Most of these forests were protected (89%), but only 46% of them strictly. Primary forests mostly occurred in mountain and boreal areas and were unevenly distributed across countries, biogeographical regions and forest types. Unmapped primary forests likely occur in the least accessible and populated areas, where forests cover a greater share of land, but wood demand historically has been low.

Main conclusions

Despite their outstanding conservation value, primary forests are rare and their current distribution is the result of centuries of land use and forest management. The conservation outlook for primary forests is uncertain as many are not strictly protected and most are small and fragmented, making them prone to extinction debt and human disturbance. Predicting where unmapped primary forests likely occur could guide conservation efforts, especially in Eastern Europe where large areas of primary forest still exist but are being lost at an alarming pace.     

浙江省森林生物量动态

以浙江省1976至2004年森林资源连续清查资料为数据源,采用基于生物量与蓄积之间关系的生物量转换因子连续函数法,对全省林分生物量和包括林分在内的森林生物量动态进行估计。森林生物量为包括林分、疏林、灌木林、竹林、经济林和四旁树在内的所有林木生物量之和。结果表明,浙江省1976至2004年间森林生物量从1.00828&#215;10^8Mg上升到2.44426&#215;10^8Mg;其中,林分生物量由0.5712&#215;10^8Mg上升到1.51128&#215;10^8Mg。森林生物量和林分生物量的年平均增长速度分别为5.1%和9.1%。在1999至2004年间,森林生物量和林分生物量增长速度均明显加快,分别达到8.6%和10.1%。在1976至2004年间,全省森林面积年均增长速度为1.0%,森林平均生物量从16.50Mg&#183;hm^-2上升到36.59Mg&#183;hm^-2。但是,在森林资源总量不断增加的同时,全省林分质量仍维持较低水平。2004年全省林分单位面积生物量为38.40Mg&#183;hm^-2,远低于全国平均水平（77.40Mg&#183;hm^-2）。研究还表明,利用森林资源连续清查数据和基于单株测树因子的森林生物量模型能够估计大尺度范围内的森林生物量及其动态,但亟待在统一标准下建立和完善覆盖所有树种的生物量模型。