Generating Standing Dead Tree Allometry Model from

Burned Pinus kesiya Royle x Gordon in Benguet

A Research Proposal Submitted to the Faculty of

Cordillera Regional Science High School in

Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

in Practical Research II

Nikko Capdos

Ronald It-itan

Keren Joy Bandao

Keisha Nelle Lucas

Juberth Bolinget

Rojan Tamiray

Proponents

Amethyst E. Taqued

Research Adviser

October 2019
 INTRODUCTION

Climate change is a worldwide problem that has significant economic and environmental

impact. This is largely being blamed to the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, most

importantly carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere which causes the Earth’s average surface

temperature to rise (Lasco, Pulhin, Cruz, Pulhin, & Roy, 2005).

One measure being undertaken to avert climate change is the use of carbon sinks such as

forests because they hold and stock carbon from the atmosphere more than what it releases from

respiration and other processes.

Forests are considered important carbon sinks because forests can absorb and store

carbon over an extended period of time. Forests cover 4 × 107 kilometer square of the Earth's

surface, equivalent to 30 percent (%) of the global land area. Forests influence climate change by

playing an integral part in the carbon cycle because forests store large amounts of carbon

sequestered from the atmosphere and reserve it in soil as well as in living or dead biomass.

Overall, the world’s forest ecosystems are estimated to store 638 billion tonnes of carbon, which

is more than the amount of carbon in the entire atmosphere (Green Facts: Facts on Health and the

Environment, 2019).

Planting trees and conserving forests are important steps toward reducing carbon

footprint. However, carbon can also be released from forests due to deforestation, tree decay,

forest fires and decomposition of other organic matter. The Global Forest Resources Assessment

(FRA), coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, found that

the world’s forest area decreased from 31.6 % of the global land area to 30.6 % between 1990

and 2015, although the pace of loss has slowed in recent years. This is why the establishment and

management of forests to enhance the removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere are
encouraged. An example of this is the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in the late 1997 that

encouraged other countries to increase the rates of carbon intake and storage in forest biomass

(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018).

Wilson and Daff, (2003, as cited by Sandeep, Sivaram, Henry, Birigazzi, & Rini, 2016)

further stressed the importance of forest ecosystems as carbon sinks. According to the authors,

forest ecosystems account for 60% of terrestrial carbon storage. Among forest ecosystems,

tropical forests comprise 60% of the world forests (Dixon et al., 1994 as cited by Sandeep,

Sivaram, Henry, Birigazzi, & Rini, 2016). This shows that tropical forests are significant in

fighting climate change as carbon sinks.

In relation to forests as carbon sinks, forest carbon stock is the amount of carbon that has

been sequestered from the atmosphere and is stored within the forest ecosystem (Forest

Research, 2019). However, little is known about the carbon stocks of tropical forest systems in

Southeast Asia. To address this, suitable allometric models should be developed in the region to

make precise estimations of carbon stocks in a non-destructive way (Sandeep, Sivaram, Henry,

Birigazzi, & Rini, 2016).

Picard et al. (2012, as cited by Sandeep, Sivaram, Henry, Birigazzi, & Rini, 2016)

defined allometry as a model or equation that relates and generates some tree characteristics that

are hard to measure, such as volume, biomass, and nutrient content, to easily collected data like

the diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and age of a tree. Allometric models relatively yield

accurate estimates of tree biomass. These models were generated from destructively sampled

trees representing different DBH ranges. These models, however, have limitations according to

Henry (2013, as cited by Sandeep, Sivaram, Henry, Birigazzi, & Rini, 2016) as models could
vary considerably with tree species, site quality, location, climate, altitude, and other factors. It is

pivotal to consider such factors to be able to generate accurate tree allometric estimates.

Moreover, the development of allometric models is mostly concentrated on live trees.

However, carbon stored in dead trees is comparable to those stored in live trees, thus, methods

for estimating the biomass of dead trees should also be developed. Since forests are important

carbon pools, forests can likewise become significant sources of carbon emissions. Carbon stored

in the biomass of a forest can be released back to the soil and atmosphere during decomposition

of vegetation and trees (Petrokofsky et al., 2012). Hence, the development of allometry for

estimating the biomass of burned trees will enable forest managers to monitor carbon released

during forest deforestation and forest fires which contribute significantly to climate change.

The Philippines is a tropical country in Southeast Asia with a forest cover of 6,839,832

hectares (Philippine Forestry Statistics, 2015), thus, giving it an important part on fighting

climate change. However, Philippine forests are also vulnerable to deforestations and forest

fires. Of these, forest fires are of frequent occurrence in the Cordillera Region. These fires kill

trees that are left standing to decompose, reducing the amount of carbon that goes to the soil and

turns trees into sources of carbon in the atmosphere.

A common victim of forest fires in the Cordillera is the endemic Benguet Pine (Pinus

kesiya Royle ex Gordon) which is dominant in the region. To date, no allometric model was

developed to estimate the biomass of burned Benguet Pines. Thus, no study was conducted to

assess the amount of carbon released by these burned trees into the atmosphere. Due to this, the

remaining carbon content of dead trees was commonly disregarded during forest carbon stock

assessment studies.
 Aside from allowing monitoring of carbon released by burned trees, developing

allometric models for burned Benguet Pines also has economic significance in terms of carbon

trading. Carbon trading monetizes each ton of either sequestered or stocked carbon by forests.

Carbon trading obliges sources of carbon emission such as developed countries to pay for forest

projects that shall offset their emissions. These forest projects are commonly based on

developing countries. Furthermore, carbon trading is being supported and promoted by

international programs such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest

Degradation, and Foster Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests, and Enhancement of

Forest Carbon Stocks (REDD+) program of the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCC), the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol,

and the Biocarbon Fund of the World Bank (WB) (Pearson, Walker, & Brown, 2005; Kassim,

Sabri, Kamarudin, & Birigazz, 2014; Napaldet & Gomez, 2015).

Carbon trading is promising. According to the High-Level Commission on Carbon

Prices, co-chaired by Joseph Stiglitz and Lord Nicholas Stern and supported by the World Bank,

carbon sequestered in forest projects can be traded for less than $10 per ton. It is estimated that

such amount will grow up to 40$-80$ per ton by 2020 and 50$-100$ per ton by 2030 (The World

Bank, 2008).

However, these international programs require the development and use of accurate

methods for estimating forest carbon stocks to measure the amount of carbon sequestered by a

forest or a forest project (Doyog, Lumbres, & Lee, 2018). This also includes the carbon stored in

dead trees as well. Hence, developing reliable allometric models is necessary for beneficiaries

such as developing countries to utilize carbon credits to benefit poor and rural communities that
are maintaining agroforestry systems and forest projects, thus, catalysing economic development

in these communities while reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.

Given the need to develop methods to measure the carbon content of dead trees, this

study is then conceived. Moreover, the carbon left in dead trees cannot be disregarded and

should be accounted for when it comes to carbon trading. It is also important to note that this

study could help forest managers to measure the amount of carbon that is being released back to

the atmosphere when burned trees are allowed to decay which allows further understanding on

how forest degradation contributes to climate change. Furthermore, this study could be a

stepping stone towards the greater participation of the Philippines to the global effort of climate

change mitigation using forests as carbon sinks. Lastly, it could provide reference for future

studies, specifically local allometry studies.

Statement of the Problem:

1.) What allometric model could reliably estimate the dead Pinus kesiya biomass and volume

in terms of the following tree variables:

a. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH);

b. Tree Height

c. Wood Density

d. Tree Age

2.) Which among the developed allometric models is the best to use to estimate the biomass

of standing dead Pinus kesiya?

3.) What allometric model could reliably estimate the dead Pinus kesiya biomass and volume

in terms of the following pairs of tree variables:

a. Diameter at Breast Height and Tree Height

b. Diameter at Breast Height and Wood Density

c. Diameter at Breast Height and Tree Age

d. Tree Height and Wood Density

e. Tree Height and Tree Age

f. Wood Density and Tree Age

4.) Which among the developed allometric models is the best to use to estimate the biomass

of standing dead Pinus kesiya?

 METHODOLOGY

Research Design

A quantitative approach using correlational research design will be employed in the

study. Correlational research design is used to determine the extent to which two or more

variables of the study relate to each other. The design is suitable since the study aims to correlate

the following tree variables: DBH, tree height, wood density and tree age of standing dead trees

to arrive at regression equations for the tree biomass. Further, the design will enable the

researchers to find the relationship of one variable or more variables to the biomass of trees from

which the carbon stock of trees could be derived.

Study Site

Strip plotting will be done at a site in Benguet which have suffered forest fire as

identified by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO). The strip plot

is a 100 meter (m) by 50 m rectangular plot that will be established using a 50-meter tape. All

burned trees within the plot will be tagged for sampling purposes with three different tags

corresponding to each DBH range (5cm-10cm, 11cm-30cm, and 31cm-50cm).

Data Collection

Fifteen (15) Pinus kesiya trees in the plot will be randomly sampled. For each DBH

ranges (5cm-10cm, 11cm-30cm, and 31cm-50cm), five (5) trees will be sampled. The DBH of

individual trees will measured using a diameter tape. The height will be measured using tree

laser. After cutting the trees, tree age will be measured by counting the number of rings in the

tree trunk. Samples from the remaining compartments of the trees were oven dried to determine a

tree’s biomass. As for the wood density, water displacement method will be used (Napaldet &

Gomez, 2015).
Study Site Information

Information about the forest sites will be also gathered. The latitude, longitude, and

altitude (from sea level) will be measured using Global Positioning System (GPS). The amount

of annual rainfall received by the site will be provided by the PENRO while the forest type that

the study site was categorized into will be assessed by experts from the College of Forestry,

Benguet State University or could also be assessed by PENRO.

Allometry Generation and Data Analysis

The data will be then subjected to SPSS to develop allometric models. Models with

single tree variables and paired tree variables will be developed. The developed allometric

models will then be subjected to ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) to determine if there are any

significant variances between the models. The biomass estimates of the models will then be

compared to the actual biomass to determine what model best projects the actual biomass of the

dead tree.
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