Biomass tables and allometric equations for predicting the fodder and fuelwood production of prominent tree resources in agricultural landscapes of the mid-hills of the North-Western Himalayas

Fodder trees in the North-Western Himalayas are crucial for sustaining livestock, energy and timber needs, biodiversity conservation, nutrient cycling, and environmental regulation. Methods for quantifying their annual leaf and fuelwood biomass harvest must be developed using species and site-specific biomass tables and allometric equations. The present study deals with estimating fodder and fuelwood biomass by developing biomass tables and allometric models for prominent scattered tree species in the mid-hill regions of North-Western Himalayan ecosystems. To achieve this goal, branches, and leaves from tree of all diameter class were harvested, dried, weighed, and recorded as dry weight (DW). Among the fodder species dry leaf production was maximum in Celtis australis (10.71 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), closely followed by Quercus leucotrichophora (8.80 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and Grewia optiva (7.71 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). A similar trend was observed for productivity of dry branch and crown biomass (leaf plus branch). The allometric equations developed to estimate leaf, branch, and leaf + branch biomass production from measurable morphometric variables. Using simple linear regression equations, DBH and tree height were the most influential variables for predicting leaf, branch, and crown (leaf + branch) biomass productivity in tree species. Crown area and width contributed significantly to the predictive power for dry leaf biomass. Multiple linear regression equations were more appropriate for prediction than linear and complex equations. The developed equations and biomass tables are important for researchers, dairy farmers, and environmentalists to estimate production, support sustainable practices and estimate carbon credits.