Predicting leaf area and biomass of 1- to 6-year-old tanoak (Lithocarpusdensiflorus) and Pacific madrone (Arbutusmenziesii) sprout clumps in southwestern Oregon

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Abstract
To provide methods for predicting site occupancy by sprouting understory hardwoods after conifer harvest, data from 142 tanoak (Lithocarpusdensiflorus (Hook. and Arn.) Rehd.) and 165 Pacific madrone (Arbutusmenziesii Pursh) sprout clumps, 1 to 6 years old, were used to develop equations for predicting leaf area and aboveground biomass. Crown cross-section area was correlated with clump leaf area and biomass (tanoak, r2 = 0.78 and 0.77; madrone, r2 = 0.86 and 0.83), so that estimates of site occupancy may be made from ground or aerial observation. Leaf area and biomass of tanoak and madrone may also be predicted before cutting or burning from equations relating these variables to parent-tree diameter at breast height times sprout-clump age (tanoak, r2 = 0.67 and 0.67; madrone, r2 = 0.74 and 0.73). The leaf area index per sprout clump differed significantly (p ≤ 0.01) between species: tanoak, 7.03 m2 leaf area/m2 crown area; madrone, 4.13 m2 leaf area/m2 crown area. These values generally did not vary with diameter of the parent-tree stem or with clump age; thus, for each species, they represent a potential maximum leaf area index for developing sprout-clump stands up to 6 years old.