Estimated Bald Cypress Biomass

by Ashley Lowe

 

Submitted : Fall 2013

The Bald Cypress tree is a major tree in some of the local biomes. Environmental scientists may need to calculate the biomass of these biomes and would therefore need to calculate the biomass of a cypress tree. A simplified equation to find biomass exists; however the specific constants required for the Bald cypress in the Okeechobee Fl area is difficult to find. This paper uses dimensions taken all the way up the tree, and integration to get an estimate of the volume of the tree. Then disks were cut at specific heights along the tree and weighed. The weights were then divided by the volume of each disk to find the average density of the trunk. Both the volume of the trunk and the density were then used to calculate the biomass of the trunk. Which ended up being about 114.48 kg or 251.86 lbs for this one particular bald cypress trunk.

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