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Estimating Stand Basal Area in Two Forest Plots in Northumberland and Dubai
An investigation carried out by (Asa Fitzgerald and Mustafa Youssef, 20 April 2024)
Forests play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and biodiversity, serving as significant sinks for carbon dioxide while providing habitat for myriad species. Understanding the ecological and economic value of forests necessitates accurate measurements of their structural components, such as the basal area, which is a key indicator of forest density and health. Stand basal area, defined as the total cross-sectional area of tree trunks (m2) per unit area of land (ha), provides an estimate of the biomass and carbon storage in a forest.
This study compares the stand basal areas of two distinctly different woodlands: the temperate forest of Northumberland Ridsdale Stiddlehill Common in the UK and the Nad AlSheiba Mini Forest Trail in Dubai, UAE. By collecting tree circumference data at breast height (1.3 m above ground) and delineating plot boundaries, we aimed to quantify and compare the tree biomass at these two geographically distinct sites. Calculating the basal area of individual trees and then summing and dividing by the plot area allows determination of stand basal area in units of m2/ha.
