Estimating bark volumes for 16 native tree species on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico

The Sierra Madre Occidental ecoregion accommodates some of the richest biodiversity anywhere in North America and contains about two-thirds of the standing timber biomass in Mexico. Worldwide forest trees provide an industrial output of about 363 million cubic meters, with the volume of bark accounting for an estimated 10% of total tree volume, so that bark is a very important nonwoody product. In this study, the proportion of bark volume (PBV) and its correlation with selected tree characteristics as well as the relationship between total tree volume and wood volume (WV) and total volume and bark volume (BV) were calculated for the first time for the 16 common and commercially most important tree species in the temperate pine-oak forest region of El Salto (Durango) on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. Measurements were made on 2,027 felled trees. The PBV in the species investigated ranges from 0.129 to 0.260 depending on the species and genus, with a mean value of 0.175. BV and WV can be accurately estimated. The approach used in this study is simple and effective, and very user-friendly. The method is recommended for researchers wishing to develop bark models for other tree species.