ABSTRACT
The quantification of energy and woody biomass of the cerrado was studied in function of the diameter at 30 cm above the soil. Sampling was made in 10 plots of 20 x 50 m in an area of 63.54 ha of sensu strictu cerrado. The individuals were identified for each species and classified in seven diameter classes, three individuals by class and species, were randomly sampled, weighed in the field and samples collected for determination of the calorific power. On average, 673 individuals/ha were found, a total of 42,762 individuals in the whole studied area, distributed in 47 species. The mean dried biomass, in the studied area was 12.39 ton/ha. The biomass was constituted of 30% on average of bark. When the biomass production per area (kg/ha) was analyzed in relation to the diameter classes, there was increase from the first to the second class and then a decrease, until the last class. The amount of energy (kcal/individual) and the amount of biomass produced when plotted as a function of the diameter presented similar trends, for wood, as for the bark, and was represented by a quadratic equation of the type y = a - bx + cx2, with R2 superior to 0,86.
Key words:
energy; biomass; cerrado