Estimating foliage and woody biomass in Sahelian and Sudanian woodlands using a remote sensing model

Abstract

Predictions of tree size and density from a remote sensing model were used together with allometric regression equations from the literature to estimate foliage and above-ground woody biomass in sparse woodlands. Study sites with woody cover ranging from 10-50 per cent were located in the Sudanian and Sahelian bioclimatic zones in Mali, West Africa. Estimates compared favourably to independent measurements of foliage biomass made in the Sahelian sites, and to typical values of foliage and woody biomass from the literature for these regions and for similar woodland types. If combined with a vegetation stratification at the appropriate scale, this approach could provide estimates of woody biomass for fuelwood, and foliage biomass for browse over large areas (10³-10⁶km²). These estimates could be used in regional scale models of biogeochemical cycling.