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Agricultural Sciences
Agronomy
1960s
Intermediate

Allometric Biomass Scaling

B=a⋅DBHbB = a \cdot DBH^b

Tree or crop biomass scales as a power law of diameter or height.

By Various ecologists

Agricultural Sciences
Allometric Biomass Scaling
1960s · Various ecologists
Why it matters: Enables forest and orchard carbon accounting without destructive harvest.

Discoverers: Various ecologists (1960s)

What does it mean?

Tree or crop biomass scales as a power law of diameter or height.

Why should I care?

Enables forest and orchard carbon accounting without destructive harvest.

Variables & Units

SymbolNameUnitMeaning
BBBiomass—kg
DBHDBHDiameter—cm
a,ba,bParameters—Species-specific

Worked Example

Double DBH with b≈2.5 more than quadruples biomass.

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Sources & further reading

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Equation Universe

Allometric Biomass Scaling

B=a⋅DBHbB = a \cdot DBH^b

Real-world impact

Precision agriculture

Equations optimize food production for billions.

Photo: Unsplash — precision farming

Tree or crop biomass scales as a power law of diameter or height.

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