M.Sc. Tezi Görüntüleme

Student:	Gülcan MEYDAN
Supervisor:	Prof. Dr. Hakkı YAVUZ
Department:	Forest Engineering
Institution:	Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences
University:	Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey

Title of the Thesis:	Construction of Trigonometric Variable-Form Taber Equations for Spruce
Level:	M.Sc.
Acceptance Date:	7/2/2006
Number of Pages:	120
Registration Number:	i1671

Summary:

Taber equations that can accurately predict the diameter at any point on a stem from diameter at breast height and total tree height, two readily measured variables that characterize the basic dimensions of tree size.

The construction of such equations has taken a number of approaches as demonstrated by the vast amount of literature in this area. Recently Bi (2000) introduced a trigonometric variable-form taper model the base function is constructed from trigonometric volume-ratio equations following the geometry of a tree stem. The specification for the exponent includes variables for depicting changes in stem form along a stem and variables for taking into account the differences in stem form associated with the changes in tree size.

In this paper, a trigonometric variables-form taper equation has been developed from 160 trees sampled across natural stands in Artvin Forest District. The coefficient of the determination of the stem profile equation is 0.976.

The equation predicts relative stem diameter without local bias. The flexibility and predictive performance of the trigonometric variables-form taper function should eliminate the needs of developing potentially a large number of site-specific taper functions.

Keywords: Trigonometric Variable-Form Taper function, Stem Form, Model Comparison