Using point dendrometers to improve forest transpiration estimation accuracy at stand scales

Abstract

Forest transpiration is often quantified by scaling up stem sap flow measured on a few trees within a stand. This procedure carries uncertainty related to the (ill)representativeness of the sampled trees for the entire stand, often comprising several thousand transpiring trees. Here, we explored the uncertainty reduction potential afforded by increasing the number of sampled trees within the stand – not by costly sap flow monitoring equipment – but by point dendrometers measuring sub-daily fluctuations in stem radii which partially correlate with xylem water movement (i.e., sap flow). Using measurements collected in a forest dominated by even-aged spruce trees over two growing seasons, we built an empirical model for estimating hourly sap flow from individual trees equipped with point dendrometers, then applied it to estimate the daily transpiration of the stand both with and without trees equipped with point dendrometers. We found that the expanded tree sample size reduced the uncertainty of the stand-level estimate by 31–37 %, suggesting that the benefit afforded by increasing the stand representativeness outweighed the cost of introducing modeling error. Given their relative simplicity and affordability, we encourage additional investigations into the use of point dendrometers for studying tree water relations and water consumption patterns of entire forested stands.