Temporal and spatial scaling from individual trees to plantations: A modeling strategy

In order to effectively deploy short-rotation woody crop plantations for energy and fiber production at regional scales, biologically sound field-level models of plant growth are required. Individual tree growth process models have proven effective at predicting growth based on environmental driving variables, but in the past these models have been too complex to use at the plantation scale. In this paper we describe an object-oriented strategy for scaling ECOPHYS, an individual tree growth process model for hybrid poplar, to a plantation. Included in this strategy are methods of scaling from an individual shoot to a tree, from individual trees to a patch, and from patches to a plantation. In describing interactions among trees, both above- and below-ground processes are considered. Finally, we describe methods for integrating the plantation level ECOPHYS with EPIC, a field scale model of soil productivity and erosion used in regional assessments.