biomassto

Biomassto is a neologism used in some discussions of ecological accounting to denote the stock of biomass within a defined area. The term blends biomass with the notion of a stock or pool, emphasizing a dynamic quantity that can grow or diminish over time through growth, mortality, and decomposition. It is not an officially standardized unit, and its precise definition can vary between studies.

In practice, biomassto is often reported as a mass of dry biomass per unit area, such as metric tons per hectare (t/ha), for land ecosystems, or as total dry biomass for a given project area. Researchers may include above-ground and below-ground living material, and sometimes detritus or soil organic matter, depending on the scope of the assessment and the goals of the analysis.

Measurement and estimation rely on a combination of field surveys, allometric equations, and remote sensing. Forest inventories measure tree diameters and heights to estimate tree biomass; soil sampling assesses below-ground matter and soil organic carbon; LiDAR and satellite data help upscale estimates to landscape scales. Allometric relationships are species- and site-specific, so transparent reporting of methods and included pools is essential when presenting biomassto.

Applications include carbon accounting, biodiversity valuation, and land-management planning. By framing biomass as a stock, biomassto facilitates comparisons of ecosystem maturity, productivity, or restoration effectiveness. Critics note that lacking standardized definitions for what constitutes biomassto can hinder cross-study comparability, underscoring the need for clear scope, units, and included pools.

See also: Biomass, Carbon stock, Net primary productivity, Ecosystem services.