Growth, suppression, death, and self-pruning of branches of Scots pine in southern and central Finland

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harri Mäkinen
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Growth Cessation ◽  
Canopy Position ◽  
Branch Development ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Branch development of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) was studied in 19 thinning experiments in southern and central Finland. Data were collected from 229 trees on sites of different fertility with different stand density, age, and canopy position. Stem sections that included the thickest branch or knot of the whorl were sawn out from the whorls below the lowest living and dead whorl. The stem sections were dissected and the years of birth, suppression, death, and occlusion of the branches were determined. Diameter growth of the branches continued for a longer time in older trees. Branch growth was also prolonged by rapid radial growth of the stem. On average, branches died 7 years after their growth cessation. The number of years that branches stayed alive after growth cessation was independent of the tree or stand characteristics. After the death of a branch, more than 40 years elapsed before the branch was occluded. Large branch diameter and rapid radial growth of the stem increased the width of the loose knot zone in the stem. The results showed that there are limited possibilities of using delayed thinnings to reduce the knottiness of timber, and artificial pruning is needed to produce timber of high quality.

scholarly journals Scots Pine Stem Parameters in Sites with Different Stand Densities in Lithuania

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 716
Author(s):  
Lina Beniušienė ◽  
Benas Šilinskas ◽  
Ričardas Beniušis ◽  
Marius Aleinikovas ◽  
Edmundas Petrauskas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Stem Height ◽  
Bottom Part ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Stem Quality

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different stand densities and thinning regimes on stem quality parameters, mainly branch characteristics, of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees. The study provides some input to the discussion about Scots pine stem quality responses to different forest management practices in relatively young stands. Materials and Methods: Total tree height, height to the lowest live and dead branch, diameter at breast height (DBH), and diameter of all branches from the whorls located up to 6 m from the ground were measured. The linear regression models to predict branch diameter, as the main parameter for the stem quality assessment, were developed based on stand density and stem parameters. Results and Conclusions: DBH, branch diameter and number of branches up to 6-m stem height were significantly higher in the stands with the lowest density. These stem parameters showed a relatively clear downward trend from the lowest to the highest stand densities. The main identified variables which significantly affected stem quality, were branch diameter and diameter of the thickest branch in the bottom part of the stem, at least up to 3-m stem height. For practical use, the best fitted model was estimated when stand density, DBH, and branch diameter up to 3-m height were included in a single equation. The developed model for branch diameter could be used as a forest management tool for managing stem-wood quality.

Effect of stand density on radial growth of branches of Scots pine in southern and central Finland

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1216-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harri Mäkinen
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Diameter Ratio ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Annual Rings ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Branch Growth ◽  
Canopy Position ◽  
Stem Radial Increment

Branch growth dynamics in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were studied in 19 thinning experiments in southern and central Finland. Data were collected from 229 trees growing on sites of different fertility with different stand density, age, and canopy position. Radial increments were measured from discs from the base of the thickest branch on every fifth living whorl. Branch growth declined gradually from the upper part of the crown towards the crown base. Near the crown base, the effect of stand density was most apparent and branches remained alive without forming annual rings. After the thinnings, branch growth did not increase, but wider spacing delayed the reduction in branch growth and increased branch longevity. Correlation of branch increment between trees was greater in the upper whorls than in the lower crown. Correlation of the radial increment between whorls of different ages was greater between whorls near each other than between whorls from the upper and lower crown. Variation of the annual increments was similar in the stem and branches. A model was developed for predicting branch increment at different heights in the crown. The best independent variables for indicating branch increment were stem radial increment, height/diameter ratio, and branch age.

Predicting branch angle and branch diameter of Scots pine from usual tree measurements and stand structural information

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1686-1696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harri Mäkinen ◽  
Francis Colin
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Random Tree ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Variance Component Model ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Branch Angle ◽  
Tree Effect

A total of 19 thinning experiments were performed in southern and central Finland to study branchiness of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Data were collected from 229 trees of different ages and canopy positions growing on sites of different fertility and thinned to different stand densities. They were used to construct models for predicting vertical trends of branch angle and branch diameter along the stem. By using the variance component model, it was possible to separate the stand-, plot-, and tree-level variations of the dependent variables. However, as the random stand and plot effects were small, they were ignored. The random tree effect of the branch angle model was slightly higher compared with the random tree effect of the branch diameter model. Branch angle increased rapidly in the upper part of the crown, but the increase levelled off in the lower part of the stem. Branch diameter increased from the stem apex to the lower part of the crown and then decreased again towards the base of the tree. Stand density measures were significant variables in the models of branch angle and branch diameter. However, they could be excluded without loss of accuracy if variables describing dimensions of the tree were used as independent variables. Relative crown length and stem diameter were adequate tree-level variables for describing branch characteristics. Validation of the models constructed without variables describing stand density revealed no biased behaviour with respect to stand density. It was concluded that branch characteristics can be predicted from the measurement of some tree-level variables without detailed knowledge of the stand history.

scholarly journals Maximum Branch Diameter in Black Spruce Following Partial Cutting and Clearcutting

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 913
Author(s):  
Audrey Lemay ◽  
Émilie Pamerleau-Couture ◽  
Cornelia Krause
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Additive Model ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Branch Development ◽  
Final Harvest

Branch diameter is an important aspect of wood quality, as lumber grades can be determined based on the maximum diameter of branches. Crown and branch development can be influenced by the environment surrounding the trees, and silvicultural interventions, which reduce stand density and increase the growth of residual trees, could therefore alter branch properties. We evaluated maximum branch diameter within the crown of residual black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) subjected to five types of silvicultural intervention—three partial-cutting and two clearcutting treatments—as well as trees within unmanaged control stands. We sampled a total of 41 stands and 223 trees. We collected 15 whorls from the live crown of each tree and measured the diameters of the largest branches. For all treatments, we observed a curvilinear relationship between maximum branch diameter and distance from the stem apex, and the largest branches were located in the lower third of the live crown. DBH before treatment and treatment were the variables that best explained maximum branch diameter in the lowest portion of the crown. A generalized additive model showed that maximum branch diameter in black spruce following silvicultural treatment will not differ significantly from trees of unmanaged control stands. Therefore, the studied partial cutting and clearcutting treatments do not have adverse effects on maximum branch diameter when compared to unmanaged control stands. However, DBH prior to treatment must be considered before any treatment is applied in forest management operations if maximum branch diameter is an important wood quality factor at the time of the final harvest of the stands.

scholarly journals BRANCH DEVELOPMENT OF EUCALYPTS MANAGED FOR SAWLOGS

CERNE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-421
Author(s):  
Leif Nutto ◽  
Ricardo Malinovski ◽  
Mário Dobner Jr. ◽  
Martin Brunsmeier
Keyword(s):  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Branch Length ◽  
Wood Production ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
Branch Biomass ◽  
Branch Development ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Genus Eucalyptus

ABSTRACT Species of the genus Eucalyptus managed for sawlogs in fast-growing plantations show high potential for substitution for valuable native hardwoods. To obtain high quality wood, technical pruning is necessary. The objective of the study is to analyse the development of the branches for the first and second pruning lifts and to quantify the biomass of the pruned branches. For the study two stands of Eucalyptus grandis were selected (age 18 and 36 months) for evaluating a pruning lift from 0 to 3 m and 3 to 6 m. The average branch diameter and length were 18 mm and 2.1 m in the younger stand and 21 mm and 2.3 m in the older one. The relation between branch diameter and branch length could be expressed in a linear model (R² = 0.8). In both stands a higher proportion of branches were already dead. The oven-dry biomass of the pruned branches was 2.2 ton.ha-1 in the first pruning lift and 1.2 ton.ha-1 in the second. The results showed that branch development in wide spaced and early thinned eucalypt plantations is in line with the objective of high quality wood production. Pruning should take place before 18 month to avoid dead branches. The oven-dry branch biomass cut in the two pruning lifts shows a low volume making a commercial utilization difficult.

scholarly journals The effect of different stand density on diameter growth response in Scots pine stands in relation to climate situations

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 461-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Novák ◽  
M. Slodičák ◽  
D. Kacálek ◽  
D. Dušek
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Experimental Series ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Diameter Increment ◽  
Pine Stands

The effect of stand density on the resistance of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) to climatic stress and subsequent response of diameter increment were investigated using data gathered from six long-term experimental series located in the typical pine regions of the Czech Republic (sandy nutrient-poor soils on the Pineto-Quercetum oligotrophicum-arenosum). Diameter growth of dominant individuals (with the largest diameter at the age before the first thinning) was measured in all variants of experimental series (control and thinned). Monthly average temperature and total precipitation were taken from the nearest climatological stations and, additionally, three climatic factors (precipitation and temperature ratio in different periods) were calculated. Diameter growth responses were analyzed in connection with long-term deviations of climatic characteristics. The effect of different stand density on diameter growth response in relation to climate situations was evaluated by cluster analysis and the variability of diameter growth response to climate situations was interpreted by the variance of correlation coefficients in groups of sample trees. The investigation confirmed the significant negative effect of meteorological drought on diameter increment of studied pine stands in the period of the last 30 years. At the same time, we observed a significant positive influence of higher spring (February, March) air temperatures on the annual diameter growth of dominant trees. The effect of stand density (in thinned stands) on the relation between diameter growth and climatic characteristic was not significant.

Altered Growth With Blue Rings: Comparison of Radial Growth and Wood Anatomy Between Trampled and Non-trampled Scots Pine Roots

2022 ◽  
pp. 125922
Author(s):  
Paweł Matulewski ◽  
Agata Buchwal ◽  
Holger Gärtner ◽  
Andrzej M. Jagodziński ◽  
Katarina Čufar
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Wood Anatomy

scholarly journals TREE DIAMETER GROWTH FOLLOWING SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS IN A SEMI-DECIDUOUS SECONDARY FOREST IN CENTRAL BRAZIL

CERNE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Venturoli ◽  
Augusto César Franco ◽  
Christopher William Fagg
Keyword(s):  
Radial Growth ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Tree Diameter ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Timber Market

In the Cerrado biome of Brazil, savannas and dry forests are intimately linked and form mosaics. These forests are composed of species of high commercial value, well accepted in the timber market, which causes intensive deforestation on the remaining vegetation. Thus, the management of these forests is an important alternative to reduce deforestation in the remaining vegetation. The objective of this study was to analyze the response of tree species in relation to silvicultural treatments of competition and liana cutting in a semi-deciduous forest in Central Brazil. The results showed that community basal area increased 24% over 4.8 years and the median periodic annual increment in diameter was about 20% higher in plots with silvicultural treatments: 2.9 mm.yr-1 in the control compared to 3.2 mm.yr-1 to 3.6 mm.yr-1 between treatments. This study demonstrated that it is possible to increase the rates of radial growth through silvicultural techniques.

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