Taper and total volume model for Pinus ayacahuite Ehren

The stem profile or taper describes the change in diameter against the increasing height of the tree. In order to describe this variation and quantify bole volume sections of standing trees, mathematical models commonly have been used, because these statistical tools provide a flexible representation to estimate stocks and forest products classification. The objective of this research was to model the stem profile of Pinus ayacahuite Ehren fitting 5 taper models by linear and non-linear least squares methods using data of 55 trees of P. ayacahuite. The evaluation and selection of the best model was based on statistical indicators and a graphical analysis. The Cielito 2 model best described the stem taper of P. ayacahuite and was superior for estimating the distribution of timber products. Evaluating different ways to estimate the stem volume, the most appropriate model considers using the volume equation, because it showed a lower bias; although the integration of Cielito 2 model has the capacity to estimate the volume between two heights along the stem, it is more useful for estimating products classification of standing trees.