Measurement and evaluation of timber yields and corresponding non-timber forest products of selected tree species. An exploratory study on poplar, Acacia, Ulmus and Juglans tree species in Kyrgyzstan

With issues of high timber demand and illegal logging in the forest zones of Kyrgyzstan, agroforestry may serve as a viable option for rectification. Yields of timber and expected income from the most popular tree species are in most cases lacking. The goal of this study is to evaluate the timber yields and non-timber forest product from Ulmus, Poplar, Acacia and Juglans tree species in Kyrgyzstan. More focus was allocated to Poplar as this is one of the most common and preferred tree species in Kyrgyzstan. A sample size of 420 trees was recorded from 18 stands with 20 trees measured in each stand with the exception of Juglans which were 6 stands with 9-17 trees each The study estimated (i) tree volume using allometric parameters (ii) age-biomass relationship (iii) Factual Branch Analysis model to estimate the above ground biomass of the different tree segments (iii) revenue deduction and NPV of Poplar trees and (iv) biological rotation Age to determine the suitable age for Poplar harvesting. The findings show that NPV is highest at 10 years for Poplar when it is being considered for fast-growing timber. The biological rotation age was, however, higher at around 17 years. Site-specific age-biomass model appears to be suitable for estimating tree biomass since the tree allometry was found to differ significantly between studied stands even with similar age ranges. The developed relationship and tree database can adequately be applied to estimate tree volume and biomass in similar site conditions in the studied region.