Relationships between tree crown, stem, and stand characteristics in unthinned loblolly pine plantations

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 534-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter T. Sprinz ◽  
Harold E. Burkhart
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Projection Area ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Tree Crown ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Mean Diameter ◽  
Stand Attributes ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Empirical and theoretical relationships between tree crown, stem, and stand characteristics for unthinned stands of planted loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) were investigated. Readily measured crown variables representing the amount of photosynthetic area or distance of the translocation process were identified. Various functions of these variables were defined and evaluated with regard to efficacy in predicting stem and stand attributes. Linear models were used to evaluate the contribution of the crown variables in predicting stem and stand characteristics. The stem attributes modeled included basal area, basal area growth, diameter at breast height, and diameter growth, while the stand attributes modeled were basal area, basal area growth, arithmetic mean diameter, and mean diameter growth. Crown diameter and crown projection area were particularly important in contributing to model fit and prediction of individual stem characteristics, while sum of crown projection areas was found especially important in stand level equations. As these crown measures developed over time so did corresponding stem and stand attributes.

Compatible basal-area growth and yield model for thinned and unthinned stands

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Bailey ◽  
Kenneth D. Ware
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Projection Model ◽  
Quadratic Mean ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Mean Diameter ◽  
Quadratic Mean Diameter

A measure of kind and level of thinning is developed and its relationship to other stand attributes such as number of trees, basal area, and volume removed in thinning is quantified. This measure or thinning index is based on the ratio of the quadratic mean diameter of thinned trees to the quadratic mean diameter of all trees before thinning. The thinning index is then logically incorporated into a thinning multiplier from which is derived a compatible basal-area growth projection model to generalize the previous concepts for thinning effects in systems for predicting growth and yield. Empirical tests with data from thinned and unthinned natural stands of loblolly pine, from thinned and unthinned slash pine plantations, and from thinned western larch stands show the model to provide estimates with improved properties. Hence, the thinning index and the thinning multiplier are also proposed for other situations involving effects of thinning.

Growth and wood quality of young loblolly pine trees in relation to stand density and climatic factors

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 851-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Cregg ◽  
P. M. Dougherty ◽  
T. C. Hennessey
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Summer Growth ◽  
Stand Basal Area

A 10-year-old stand of loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) in southeastern Oklahoma was thinned to three target basal-area levels: 5.8, 11.5, and 23 m2•ha−1 (control). Specific gravity, latewood percentage, date of transition from earlywood to latewood, growth, and climate variables were measured for 2 years after thinning. Variation in the measured wood properties was more influenced by climatic variation than by the thinning treatments. Diameter growth and per-tree basal-area growth were significantly greater on the thinned treatments both years after thinning. However, stand basal-area growth was greatest on the unthinned treatment. Basal-area growth rates were significantly related to stand basal area, tree size, soil water potential, and air temperature. Early in the summer, growth was positively related to mean daily temperature, while later in the summer, growth was negatively related to mean daily temperature, reflecting the influence of high-temperature stress on growth. A year with high summer rainfall (1984) resulted in wood with a higher percentage of latewood and higher specific gravity than wood produced in a year with low summer rainfall (1985). The date of latewood initiation was significantly related to tree size, soil moisture, and evaporative demand. The date of transition from earlywood to latewood occurred 10–14 days sooner on the unthinned plots in both years. However, annual ring latewood percentage and specific gravity were not significantly affected by thinning. Increased late-season growth rates compensated for the later transition date on the thinned treatments, resulting in no net change in ring latewood percentage due to thinning. The results indicate that individual tree basal-area growth can be increased by thinning without reducing wood density.

Growth following single-tree selection cutting in Québec northern hardwoods

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Bédard ◽  
Zoran Majcen
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Northern Hardwoods ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Selection Cutting ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Single Tree Selection

Eight experimental blocks were established in the southern part of Québec to determine the growth response of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) dominated stands after single tree selection cutting. Each block contained eight control plots (no cut) and eight cut plots. The intensity of removal varied between 21% and 32% and residual basal area was between 18.2 and 21 m2/ha. Ten year net annual basal area growth rates in cut plots (0.35 ± 0.04 m2/ha) were significantly higher (p = 0.0022) than in control plots (0.14 ± 0.06 m2/ha). The treatment particularly favoured diameter growth of stems between 10 and 30 cm in dbh, whose crowns were released by removing neighbouring trees. These results show that if the same net growth rate is maintained in the next decade most of the cut plots will reach their pre-cut basal area in about 20 years after cutting. Key words: northern hardwoods, selection cutting, uneven aged silviculture, basal area growth, diameter growth

Construction and Installation of Homemade Dendrometer Bands

1986 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Cattelino ◽  
Charles A. Becker ◽  
Leslie G. Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Common Type ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Tree Diameter ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Dendrometer Bands ◽  
Field Setting

Abstract Dendrometer bands are common tools used when accurate measurement of tree-diameter growth or basal-area growth is desired. This common type of dendrometer consists of a metal band placed around the stem of the tree with reading scales scribed on the overlapping portions of the band. Homemade dendrometer bands can be made and installed efficiently and economically. Complete instructions together with a description of materials necessary for the construction and placement of dendrometer bands are presented. Evaluation of dendrometer bands in a field setting is also discussed. North. J. Appl. For. 3:73-75, June 1986.

An individual-tree basal area growth model for loblolly pine stands

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Murphy ◽  
Michael G. Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth Function ◽  
Logistic Function ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Using Data

Tree basal area growth has been modeled as a combination of a potential growth function and a modifier function, in which the potential function is fitted separately from open-grown tree data or a subset of the data and the modifier function includes stand and site variables. We propose a modification of this by simultaneously fitting both a growth component and a modifier component. The growth component can be any function that approximates tree growth patterns, and the logistic function is chosen as the modifier component. This approach can be adapted to a variety of stand conditions, and its application is demonstrated using data from an uneven-aged loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) study located in Arkansas and Louisiana.

Fertilization of a pole-sized maple stand: 10-year results

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas M. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Site Conditions ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Initial Diameter ◽  
Area Growth

A 48-year-old stand of Acersaccharum Marsh. and A. rubrum L. in northeastern Wisconsin, U.S.A., was fertilized with 168 kg/ha (150 lb/acre) of elemental N, P, N + P, or N + P + K in May 1966. Trees were stratified by crown class and initial diameter. Ten-year diameter and basal area growth were evaluated by analysis of covariance with initial plot basal area (IBA) as the covariate and by stepwise multiple regression in hierarchal models. Both diameter and basal area growth were influenced greatly by initial diameter and stand density. IBA accounted for 65% of the variation in diameter growth and 49% of the variation in basal area growth.Fertilization decreased diameter growth and increased mortality of suppressed trees. Pole-sized maples in intermediate and codominant crown positions tended to respond to fertilization with N and N + P but the differences were not statistically significant. Dominant trees grew more than did intermediates or codominants, but fertilization response could not be evaluated. Treatment effects were confounded by widely varied stand and site conditions. Results illustrate conditions likely to be encountered in fertilizing northern hardwoods on an operational scale.

Crown and basal area relationships of open-grown southern pines for modeling competition and growth

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.R. Smith ◽  
R.M. Farrar Jr. ◽  
P.A. Murphy ◽  
J.L. Yeiser ◽  
R.S. Meldahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Predictive Equations ◽  
Diameter At Breast Height ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Crown Width ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth

Data were collected on open-grown loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.), longleaf pine (Pinuspalustris Mill.), and shortleaf pine (Pinusechinata Mill.) and analyzed to provide predictive equations of crown width and maximum potential basal area growth for crown competition and growth and yield models. The measurements were taken on 115 open-grown loblolly pine trees and 76 shortleaf pines in southeastern Arkansas. The longleaf pine data consisted of 81 open-grown trees from southern Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. A circle and an ellipse were tested as geometric models of the vertically projected crown. No significant differences between the tree shapes were found based on analyses of length and azimuth of the largest crown diameter, and the circle was chosen as an appropriate model. This indicated that only the distance between trees, not their orientation to one another, need be included in models of crown competition based on crown contact. Predictive equations of mean crown width based on diameter at breast height were fitted for each species for use in models of crown competition. A Chapman–Richards growth rate function with an intercept term was fit to periodic annual inside-bark basal area growth based on initial inside-bark basal area to provide empirical estimates of maximum basal area growth rates for growth and yield modeling of the given species. Additionally, equations to predict double bark thickness as a function of diameter at breast height were fit for each species to facilitate the use of the equations with outside-bark measurements of diameter.

Effects of residual stand density on growth and volume production in even-aged red maple stands

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry F Strong ◽  
Gayne G Erdmann
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Secondary Treatment ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Volume Production ◽  
Understory Trees ◽  
Epicormic Branching

The effects of five residual stand densities (9.2, 13.8, 16.1, 18.4 m2/ha, and an unthinned control (27.2 m2/ha)) on10-year stand and crop tree growth and bole quality were studied in an even-aged red maple stand in Michigan. A secondary treatment of removing the understory trees (5-10 cm DBH) was applied on half the plots. Diameter growth was significantly greater in all cutting treatments than in the control. Ten-year diameter growth in the heaviest cut treatment was nearly three times that of the control. The interaction between understory removal treatments and density treatments was significant for net basal area growth. Ingrowth in the heavier cut treatments accounted for a significant portion of net basal area growth in the plots without understory removal. Mortality was highest in the control and lowest in the heavier cut treatments. Epicormic branching significantly reduced clear bole length of crop trees in the heavier cut treatments, especially when the understory was removed. For these reasons, a more conservative first entry thinning level of about 17-18 m²/ha without controlling the understory is recommended for even-aged red maple stands.

Responses of Red Alder to Thinning

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Hibbs ◽  
William H. Emmingham ◽  
Michael C. Bondi
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Alnus Rubra ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Red Alder ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth

Abstract Responses of red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) to thinning were observed at two sites in the Oregon Coast Range. Five years after thinning in the 20-yr-old stand, mortality was observed only in control plots. Diameter growth of crop trees increased up to 54% with thinning. Trends toward less height growth at wider spacings and increased growth in basal area compared to controls appeared to be developing in thinned plots. Ten years after thinning in the 14-yr-old stand, the problems of flashback seen at year 5 in the chemically thinned plots had largely been overcome. Reduction in height growth in all thinned plots had been overcome. Net basal area growth was up to 60% greater in thinned treatments. Thinning appears effective for 10 to 15 yr in the narrow spacings and 15 to 20 yr in the wide spacings. West. J. Appl. For. 10(1): 17-23.

scholarly journals Fifth-Year Response to Thinning in a Water Oak Plantation in North Louisiana

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Meadows ◽  
J.C.G. Goelz
Keyword(s):  
Total Yield ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Old Field ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Basal Area Growth ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Water Oak ◽  
North Louisiana

Abstract A 21 ac, 28-yr-old water oak (Quercus nigra L.) plantation, on an old-field loessial site in north Louisiana, was subjected to three thinning treatments during the winter of 1987–1988: (1) no thinning, (2) light thinning to 180 dominant and codominant trees/ac, and (3) heavy thinning to 90 dominant and codominant trees/ac. Prior to thinning, the plantation averaged 356 trees/ac and 86 ft2/ac of basal area, with a quadratic mean diameter of 6.7 in. Thinning reduced stand basal areas to 52 and 34 ft2/ac for the light and heavy thinning treatments, respectively. After 5 yr, both thinning treatments increased diameter growth rates of individual residual trees, both when all trees were considered and when the analysis was limited to dominant and codominant trees only. Neither thinning treatment affected either stand-level volume growth or total yield 5 yr after treatment. However, thinning distributed total volume growth among fewer trees, such that, when trees of all crown classes were considered in the analysis, average annual volume growth per tree increased with increasing intensity of thinning. Both basal area growth and volume growth following light thinning appear to be sufficient to promote rapid recovery of the stand to a fully stocked condition in the near future. In contrast, heavy thinning reduced density to a severely understocked condition that will prohibit optimum occupancy of the site for a long period. Among the treatments evaluated in this study, light thinning produced the most desirable combination of individual-tree diameter growth and stand-level basal area growth. South. J. Appl. For. 25(1):31–39.

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