Growth, yield, and structure of extended rotation Pinus resinosa stands in Minnesota, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1000-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Christel C. Kern
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Ecological Objectives

Extended rotations are increasingly used to meet ecological objectives on forestland; however, information about long-term growth and yield of these systems is lacking for most forests in North America. Additionally, long-term growth responses to repeated thinnings in older stands have received little attention. We addressed these needs by examining the growth and yield of red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) in a growing stock experiment in northern Minnesota. Stands were 85 years old at the onset of this experiment and were repeatedly thinned to five levels of basal area (13.8, 18.4, 23.0, 27.5, and 32.1 m2·ha–1) over 58 years. Cumulative volume production and volume growth were lowest within the lowest stocking treatment and similar across other stocking levels. Late-successional structural attributes, such as the density of trees with ≥40 cm diameter at breast height, was similar across stocking levels. The mean annual volume growth culminated between 130 and 140 years. Additionally, positive growth responses were observed within the highest stocking-level treatments after thinning at 138 years, demonstrating the ability of older red pine to respond to reductions in competition. These results illustrate that extended rotations with repeated thinnings in red pine help achieve ecological goals, including the restoration of old-forest structure, while also maintaining high levels of stand productivity.

scholarly journals Thinning Red Pine Plantations and the Langsaeter Hypothesis: A Northern Minnesota Case Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Gilmore ◽  
Timothy C. O'Brien ◽  
Howard M. Hoganson
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Computer Simulation Model ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Prediction Equations ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract The Langsaeter hypothesis states, “The total production of cubic volume by a stand of given age and composition on a given site is, for all practical purposes, constant and optimum for a wide range of density of stocking. It can be decreased, but not increased, by altering the amount of growing stock to levels outside this range.” We used a multistep approach to test this hypothesis in a 46-year-old red pine plantation growing on a site of moderate quality in northern Minnesota. First, we used stem analysis data to construct tree-level red pine volume equations and compared them to existing equations. We then calculated stand-level volume. Doing this allowed us to evaluate the performance of two stand-level volume prediction equations, a growth and yield spreadsheet package, and a computer simulation model using 10-year pre- and post-thinning measurements. Tree volume prediction equations were similar to existing equations. For 10-year projections, the stand-level volume prediction equations and growth projection models provided volume estimates within 10% of actual volumes on average. Ten-year post-thinning measurements showed that a geometric, strip thinning to 100 ft2 of basal area resulted in a 40% volume gain, a crown thinning to 125 ft2 of basal area a 35% volume gain, and a low thinning to 140 ft2 of basal area a 30% volume gain, while an unharvested control had a 22% gain in volume relative to residual stand volumes. Although we found the 10-year volume growth varied less than 1 cord ac−1 between residual growing stock volumes retained in this study, we do not have strong evidence to support the Langsaeter hypothesis for red pine. North. J. Appl. For. 22(1):19–26.

A new method for evaluating forest thinning: growth dominance in managed Pinus resinosa stands

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 843-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Bradford ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Shawn Fraver
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
New Method ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Individual Tree Growth

Growth dominance is a relatively new, simple, quantitative metric of within-stand individual tree growth patterns, and is defined as positive when larger trees in the stand display proportionally greater growth than smaller trees, and negative when smaller trees display proportionally greater growth than larger trees. We examined long-term silvicultural experiments in red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) to characterize how stand age, thinning treatments (thinned from above, below, or both), and stocking levels (residual basal area) influence stand-level growth dominance through time. In stands thinned from below or from both above and below, growth dominance was not significantly different from zero at any age or stocking level. Growth dominance in stands thinned from above trended from negative at low stocking levels to positive at high stocking levels and was positive in young stands. Growth dominance in unthinned stands was positive and increased with age. These results suggest that growth dominance provides a useful tool for assessing the efficacy of thinning treatments designed to reduce competition between trees and promote high levels of productivity across a population, particularly among crop trees.

Loblolly pine and mixed hardwood stand dynamics for 27 years following chemical, mechanical, and manual site preparation

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2126-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn R. Glover ◽  
Bruce R. Zutter
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Fayette County ◽  
Stand Basal Area

A site-preparation study installed in 1959 in Fayette County, Alabama, U.S.A., provides data to evaluate long-term effects of varying densities of hardwood on loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) plantation growth, yield, and stand structure. Six treatments (hand girdle; bulldoze scarification; herbicide applied to axe frill, chain frill, and with an injector; and an untreated check) were installed as a randomized complete block with five replications. Periodic measurements of pine and hardwood size and density show that higher hardwood densities existing early in the pine plantation had a substantial negative effect on loblolly pine survival and basal area yield, with the bulldoze and herbicide treatments having less hardwood and higher survival and stand basal area. Pine total height and diameter at breast height were reduced by increasing hardwood density early in the life of the plantation, but size of surviving trees differed little among treatments at later ages, except on plots where most pine trees were suppressed by hardwoods. Strong relationships between pine basal area per hectare at age 27 and both number of hardwood stems at age 3 and percentage of stand basal area in hardwood at age 6 were noted. These relationships indicate promise for predicting long-term growth and yield of loblolly pine plantations from early measures of hardwood interference.

scholarly journals Eighteen-year growth responses to thinning and fertilization of a height-repressed lodgepole pine stand in interior British Columbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (03) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Prescott ◽  
Louise deMontigny ◽  
George Harper
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Wild Fires

Challenges to the mid-term timber supply in interior British Columbia resulting from losses to insect outbreaks and wild-fires have prompted interest in silvicultural interventions to hasten growth of regenerating forests, including high-density(overstocked), height-repressed stands of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.). A trialwas established in a dense (4000 to 30 000 trees ha-1) 36-year-old wildfire-origin pine stand in the Cariboo-Chilcotinregion of interior BC to assess the efficacy of thinning, fertilization and a combination of the two treatments for improv-ing tree growth and stand development. Height and diameter of the 36 crop trees in each plot was greater in fertilizedplots then control plots for six years following fertilization, while the height and diameter responses to thinning and thin-ning + fertilization were sustained throughout the 18-year measurement period. Cumulative basal area and volumegrowth of crop trees and all stand trees over the 18-year period was significantly greater in thinned and thinned + fertil-ized treatments than control plots. Projections based on the TASS growth and yield model suggested that total stand vol-umes in thinned plots would surpass that of the control at age 74 and would surpass that of the fertilized treatment at 89years. Unthinned stands (i.e., control and fertilized treatments), did not accumulate significant merchantable volume; inthinned stands (i.e., thinned and thinned + fertilized treatments), the minimum harvest criteria of 80 m3 ha-1 for pine-leading stands in this region was reached at age 102 years. Repeated fertilization would be needed to further hasten standdevelopment. The potential long-term benefits of these silvicultural interventions for timber supply must be weighedagainst treatment costs and risks of mortality related to wildfire, insects and disease. These results highlight the value oflong-term research trials for informing silviculture decisions.

The growth and yield responses of a high site quality red pine plantation to seven thinning treatments and two thinning intervals

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal O. Liechty ◽  
Glenn D. Mroz ◽  
David D. Reed
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
High Site ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Lower Site

Seven thinning treatments with residual densities between 60 and 160 ft3/acre (13.8 and 36.8 m2/ha) of basal area were applied to a highly productive (site index, 81 ft (24.7 m); base age, 50 years) red pine (Pinusresinosa Ait.) plantation. After 10 years, periodic basal area growth was maximized over a lower and much broader range of residual densities than previously found in lower site quality stands. Total and merchantable cubic foot volume growth for the 10 year period was not significantly different between treatments. Application of these thinning treatments on a 6- compared with a 10-year interval reduced total and merchantable cubic foot volume growth while increasing the average stand diameter.

scholarly journals La qualité des stations et la productivité des plantations de pin rouge (Pinus resinosa Ait.) au Québec.

1975 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
S. Popovich
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Stand Volume ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Relationship

This paper presents an evaluation of site quality based on the relationship between volume per square foot of basal area and age of plantation, for planted red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) in Quebec.A graph for the three site index classes is included with indication for its use. There is a table showing the values of volume per square foot of basal area as a function of average height and average form quotient of a stand, permitting a rapid evaluation of stand volume of a plantation. Finally, several factors affecting growth and yield of red pine plantations for various sites in Quebec are discussed.

A comparison of thinning methods in red pine: consequences for stand-level growth and tree diameter

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Bradford ◽  
Brian J. Palik
Keyword(s):  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Biomass Growth ◽  
Quadratic Mean ◽  
Stand Growth ◽  
Tree Diameter ◽  
Growth Increase

Long-term replicated experiments that contrast thinning method (dominant thinning, thinning from below) while controlling stocking level are rare. Stand growth and tree size responses to thinning method can be useful for making decisions to achieve desired objectives, whether these are timber or wildlife habitat related. We examined data from two long-term (>50 year old) silvicultural experiments in red pine to understand how alternative thinning prescriptions influence stand-level basal area, volume, and biomass growth, as well as quadratic mean tree diameter. We found that gross growth in stands treated with dominant thinning was often, although not always, greater than growth in stands treated with thinning from below. However, the differences in growth between thinning methods are smallest at stocking levels and stand ages typical for red pine management. We found that biomass growth increases with dominant thinning were generally less than basal area or volume growth increase. Furthermore, greater gross growth associated with dominant thinning versus thinning from below must be weighed against the significantly smaller average tree sizes that result from repeated dominant thinning.

Effects of fertilization and thinning on 8-year growth responses of second-growth Douglas-fir stands

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 516-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Stegemoeller ◽  
H. N. Chappell
Keyword(s):  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Positive Interaction ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Area And Volume

Fertilization of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands generally increased both basal area and volume growth for at least 8 years. Thinning tended to have an even greater effect than fertilization on basal area and volume growth, increasing both on an individual-tree basis. On a land-area basis, however, the removal of growing stock by thinning caused volume growth to be less than that of the control. The magnitude and duration of this negative response was dependent on the level of thinning and the site quality. A significant positive interaction between fertilization and thinning exists. The combined treatment resulted in the greatest absolute basal area and volume increments, and the response became greater than that to fertilizer alone in the 3rd and 4th years, and remained so through at least 8 years.

Growth of Clumped vs. Equally Spaced Trees

1982 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Stiell
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Resinosa ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Form Class ◽  
Significant Tendency ◽  
Made In ◽  
Crown Size

Fifteen-year results are presented for a thinning experiment made in 13-year-old red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.), designed to compare growth of trees in 4-tree clumps with that of uniformly spaced trees, in both cases growing at 890 stems/ha. By the end of the period, average crown size, form class and height were about the same for both stands, but growth by trees in clumps had been less for dbh and for basal area and total volume per hectare. Clumped trees had a significant tendency to lean away from each other. It was concluded that control of inter-tree spacing at planting or thinning is justified to the extent that clumps of more than three adjacent trees be avoided.

Stand growth responses after fertilization for thinned lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce in forests of interior British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482
Author(s):  
Woongsoon Jang ◽  
Bianca N.I. Eskelson ◽  
Louise de Montigny ◽  
Catherine A. Bealle Statland ◽  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Growth Responses

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.

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