The demand for forest biomass information has increased substantially in recent years, and, in response, new models have been developed to estimate biomass of forest stands and the more common vegetated, non-treed areas in Canada. The modeling approach is distinct for the kind of stand (or polygon) under consideration, and includes techniques that can be used to estimate all the above-ground biomass components, including stem wood, stem bark, branches, and foliage.
Plot data supplied from forest inventory agencies throughout Canada formed the basis of developing empirical volume-to-biomass conversion models for forested (treed) land. For non-treed vegetated areas without volume, look-up tables containing mean biomass values were produced from published scientific studies about plant biomass production.
Empirical models and look-up tables are presented with examples of how they can be used to estimate biomass for specific combinations of classifiers. Together, the models and tables provide a consistent and comprehensible set of tools that can be used to estimate biomass components for stands, vegetated areas, or broader groupings of both, in Canada.