Date Log
Submitted
Oct 24, 2025
Accepted
Mar 1, 2026
Published
May 19, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Allometric Models to Predict Total Height and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) for the Flooded Forest Ecosystems in Cambodia
Corresponding Author(s) : Horn Sarun
hornsarun@gmail.com
Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan,
Vol 20 No 1 (2026): March
Abstract
Reliable allometric equations are essential for estimating forest structure, biomass, and carbon stocks, which are still scarce in Cambodia's flooded forests. Therefore, this study aimed to develop predictive models fortwo key allometric relationships: (1) total tree height as a function of diameter at breast height (DBH) and (2) estimation of DBH from stump diameter when DBH measurements were unavailable. The analysis compared their performance using the coefficient of determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The results showed that the logarithmic model performed optimally for Height–DBH relationship (R2 = 0.494; RMSE = 2.59 m; AIC = 1738.9). The selected equation, H = −1.7261 + 4.1124 × ln (DBH). DBH correlated strongly with stump diameter (r = 0.98, p < 0.001), with the power equationDBH = 0.969 × Stump Diameter0.983 as the best predictor. These stumpbased relationships served as important tools in estimating biomass and carbon stocks in disturbed or logged forests where DBH could not be measured directly. Furthermore, the results showed the structural variability of Cambodia's flooded forests and provided practical allometric tools for forest inventory, biomass estimation, and carbon accounting underREDD+ initiatives.
Keywords
allometric equations
flooded forest ecosystems
height–DBH relationship
stump diameter
biomass estimation
Sarun, H., Pheak, S., Meta, H., Molikoy, C., Sokra, I., & Darmawanti, R. (2026). Allometric Models to Predict Total Height and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) for the Flooded Forest Ecosystems in Cambodia. Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan, 20(1), 70-84. https://doi.org/10.22146/jik.v20i1.25617
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
References
- Baia ALP, Nascimento HEM, Guedes M, Hilário R, Toledo JJ. 2025. Tree height-diameter allometry and implications for biomass estimates in Northeastern Amazonian Forests. PeerJ 13:e18974. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.18974.
- Bren LJ, Williams TM, Amatya DM. 2025. Hydrology of flooded and wetland forests. Pages 124–142 in Forest Hydrology. CABI, GB. DOI: 10.1079/9781800625310.0008.
- Chadwick AJ, Coops NC, Johnson KM, Bater CW, Martens LA, Röeser D, White B. 2025. A remote sensing methodology for sub-stand growth and yield projection of post-harvest forest regeneration. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research 98(3):454–463. DOI: 10.1093/forestry/cpae051.
- Chave J et al. 2014. Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees. Global Change Biology 20(10):3177–3190. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12629.
- Curtis RO, Marshall DD. 2000. Technical note: Why quadratic mean diameter? Western Journal of Applied Forestry 15(3):137–139. DOI: 10.1093/wjaf/15.3.137.
- DellaSala DA, Keith H, Sheehan T, Strittholt J, Mackey B, Connolly M, Werner JR, Fredeen AL. 2022. Estimating carbon stocks and stock changes in Interior Wetbelt forests of British Columbia, Canada. Ecosphere 13(4). DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4020.
- Freschet GT et al. 2021. A starting guide to root ecology: Strengthening ecological concepts and standardising root classification, sampling, processing and trait measurements. New Phytologist 232(3):973–1122. DOI: 10.1111/nph.17572.
- Gallerani EM, Williams AP, Cavanaugh KC, Gillespie TW. 2025. Uncertainties in modelling Hawaii's future precipitation and what it means for endangered forest birds: A review. Journal of Biogeography 52(6). DOI: 10.1111/jbi.15121.
- Gora EM, McGregor IR, Muller-Landau HC, Burchfield JC, Cushman KC, Rubio VE, Mori GB, Sullivan MJP, Chmielewski MW, Esquivel-Muelbert A. 2025. Storms are an important driver of change in tropical forests. EcologyLetters 28(7). DOI: 10.1111/ele.70157.
- Holeštová A, Doudová J, Havrdová A, Černá M, Boublík K, Douda J. 2024. Contrasting responses of forest phenological guilds to complex floodplain change. Journal of Ecology 112:1397–1412. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.14310.
- Keller GJ, Bronson D, Slesak RA, Windmuller-Campione MA. 2024. Effects of flooding and shade on survival, growth, and leaf gas exchange of bottomland tree species across the Great Lakes Region (USA). Forests 15(3):530. DOI: 10.3390/f15030530.
- Kim S, Horn S, Sok P, SienT, Yorn C. 2023. Ecosystem carbon stock assessment in upland forest: A case study in Koh Kong, Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, and Siem Reap Provinces. International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development 14(2):61–67. DOI: 10.32115/ijerd.14.2_61.
- Koreň M, Scheer Ľ, Sedmák R, Fabrika M. 2024. Evaluation of tree stump measurement methods for estimating diameter at breast height and tree height. International Journa l of Appli ed Earth Observa tion and Geoinformation 129:103828. DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2024.103828.
- Mancheño AG, Vuik V, van Wesenbeeck BK, Jonkman SN, van Hespen R, Moll JR, Kazi S, Urrutia I, van Ledden M. 2024. Integrating mangrove growth and failure in coastal flood protection designs. Scientific Reports 14(1):7951. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58705-4.
- Mangalam M, Isoyama Y, Ogata H, Nose-Ogura S, Kayaba M, Nagai N, Kiyono K. 2024. Multi-scaling allometry in human development, mammalian morphology, and tree growth. Scientific Reports 14(1):19957. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69199-5.
- Mugasha WA, Mauya E, Karlsson K, Malimbwi RE. 2021. Stump diameter: A potential predictor of removed biomass through tree cutting. Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation 90(1):96–109. DOI: 10.4314/tjfnc.v90i1. Available from https://www.ajol.info/index.php/tjfnc/article/view/203218.
- Norghauer JM. 2021. Intraspecific allometries reveal hyper-slender stems in forest gaps and the impact on tree growth from insectherbivores. Ecological Research 36(3):478–490. DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12207.
- Ogwu MC, Izah SC, Joshua MT. 2025. Ecological and environmental determinants of phytochemical variability in forest trees. Phytochemistry Reviews 24(6):5109–5137. DOI: 10.1007/s11101-025-10066-0.
- Parolin P, Wittmann F. 2010. Struggle in the flood: Tree responses to flooding stress in four tropical flood plain systems. AoB PLANTS 2010. DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plq003.
- Pretzsch H. 2009. Forest dynamics, growth and yield. Springer, Berlin.
- Pumijumnong N, Muangsong C, Buajan S, Songtrirat P, Chatwatthana R, Chareonwong U. 2023. Factors affecting cambial growth periodicity and wood formation in tropical forest trees: A review. Forests 14(5):1025. DOI: 10.3390/f14051025.
- Rahman M, Billah M, Rahman MO, DattaD, Ahsanuzzaman M, Islam M. 2021. Disentangling the role of competition, light interception, and functional traits in tree growth rate variation in South Asian tropical moist forests. Forest Ecology and Management 483:118908. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118908.
- Rex FE et al. 2020. Comparison of statistical modelling approaches for estimating tropical forest aboveground biomass stock and reporting their changes in low intensity logging areas using multi-temporal LiDAR data. Remote Sensing 12(9):1498. DOI: 10.3390/rs12091498.
- Sasaki N, Vijitharan S. 2024. Nature-based carbon capture through forest management in the Mekong Region of Southeast Asia. Pages 123–148 inHanP, Nepal R, editors. Energy Transition and Carbon Neutrality in ASEAN: Developing Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Technologies. World Scientific. DOI: 10.1142/9789811288050_0005.
- Savacinski S, Louzada P, Haiduki L, Rosa LMG, Müller C, Cansian RL, Sausen TL. 2023. Assessing the role of light in flooding tolerance for tree species recommendation in the restoration of riparian subtropical forests. Trees 37(2):403–415. DOI: 10.1007/s00468-022-02358-1.
- Sharma R, Uniyal A, Rawat GS, Uniyal SK. 2022. Dwindling status of a community managed forest in the Dhauladhar mountain range of western Himalaya. Trees, Forests and People 8:100254. DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100254.
- Terryn L et al. 2024. New tree height allometries derived from terrestrial laser scanning reveal substantial discrepancies with forest inventory methods in tropical rainforests. Global Change Biology 30(8). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17473.
- Wan Y, Peng L, Li H, Anwaier A, Li D, Ma Y, Dai Y, Shi Q. 2024. Water-use characteristics of Populus euphratica trees in response to flood and ground water depth in desert oasis. Environmental and Experimental Botany 226:105915. DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2024.105915.
- Yang J, Swenson NG. 2023. Height and crown allometries and their relationship with functional traits: An example from a subtropical wet forest. Ecology and Evolution13(2). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9804.
- Zhang W-P, Zhao L, Larjavaara M, Morris EC, Sterck FJ, Wang G-X. 2020. Height-diameter allometric relationships for seedlings and trees across China. Acta Oecologica 108:103621. DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103621.