Assessment of Detritus Biomass in Forest Ecosystems

Abstract

The current method for estimating the biomass of dead organic matter in forest ecosystems is analyzed. The main focus of the study is the adequacy of mathematical models used to estimate the density of decomposing wood. The failure of the traditional approach to estimating the density index, is shown both for an individual decomposing dead tree and in calculating the average index characterizing the density of the wood of the totality of dead trees. We consider the possibility of applying the concept of effective density to estimate the biomass of dead wood remains as the most corresponding to their heterogeneous structure. We propose a method based on representations of interval analysis, which allows, using standard values of the density of healthy wood, to estimate the density index of rotting wood of the corresponding decomposition class of the detritus classification system.