Abstract:In this study, the boosted regression trees (BRT) method was used to analyze the main factors that influenced the above-and underground biomass conversion and expansion factor (BCEF) of Masson pine. Data from the permanent sample plot of the 8th Chinese National Forest Inventory for Fujian Province was used. The results showed that the cumulative relative influences of stand characteristic and topographic factors on above-and underground BCEF were 87.20 and 86.59%, respectively. Stand characteristic and topographic factors were the most important factors for both above-and underground BCEF. Among the stand characteristic factors, the age group was dominant, contributing to 41.13% of the aboveground BCEF differences that decreased with an increase in the age group, and 41.54% of the underground BCEF differences that increased with an increase in the age group. Among the topographic factors, slope was the key variable, contributing to 14.52% of aboveground BCEF differences, which were the highest at the southeast slope and the lowest at the west slope, and 15.16% of the underground BCEF differences, which were the lowest at the southeast slope and the highest at the west slope. In addition, soil factors had a lower effect on both above and underground BCEF. The relative influences of soil factors on above-and underground BCEF were 12.80 and 13.41%, respectively. Among the soil factors, the thickness of the humus layer was the key variable, contributing to 9.02% of the aboveground BCEF differences and 9.13% of the underground BCEF differences. Among all influencing factors, age group had the highest effect on both above-and underground BCEF. Consequently, the ways, such as calculating BCEF based on age group or building universal BCEF models of all age, could achieve a better precision of biomass.