ALLOMETRIC EQUATIONS TO ESTIMATE ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS AND CARBON IN POLYLEPIS RACEMOSA IN A RELICT FOREST LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY OF BELLA ANDINA, CHOTA, CAJAMARCA

Global warming is caused by the increase in CO2 concentration and the decrease in areas with forest cover, mainly natural forests and Andean relicts, which are the main sources of carbon sinks to counteract climate change. The objective of the study was to determine allometric equations to estimate the aboveground biomass and carbon in Polylepis racemosa of the relict forest in the community of Bella Andina, Chalamarca, Chota-Cajamarca, for this, a forest census of the individuals of Polylepis racemosa was carried out, by recording the diameter at 50 centimeters above the ground, number of branches, shaft height and crown diameter. 1232 trees were inventoried distributed in 11 diameter classes, then the biomass and carbon were estimated by the destructive method of 11 trees. The specimens were dried in an oven at 105± 2°C for five days to determine the dry biomass, the choice of the best allometric equation was using the statistical indicators R2, adjusted R2, RECM. Sxy, E and AIC, the allometric equation that best estimated the aboveground biomass in Polylepis racemosa in the relict forest of Bella Andina was LnBA = 2.394988 + 0.082807 ∗ D50; with R2 = 0.932; Adjusted R2 0.925; RECM = 16.826; E = 0.363; Sxy = 50,477; AIC = 32.013 and the best model for estimating carbon is LnBA = 1.8177 + 0.08644 ∗ D50; it reaches an R2: 0.833; Adjusted R2 = 0.815; RECM 16,673; E = 0.259; Sxy = 50.0182 and AIC = 1.926; concluding that at least one adjusted allometric equation is statistically superior and adequate to estimate aboveground biomass and carbon in P. racemosa trees in the study area.