Effects of tree size and spatial distribution on growth of ponderosa pine forests under alternative management scenarios |
| |
Authors: | C W Woodall C E Fiedler R E McRoberts |
| |
Institution: | (1) USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA;(2) School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59802, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Forest ecosystems may be actively managed toward heterogeneous stand structures to provide both economic (e.g., wood production
and carbon credits) and environmental benefits (e.g., invasive pest resistance). In order to facilitate wider adoption of
possibly more sustainable forest stand structures, defining growth expectations among alternative management scenarios is
crucial. To estimate the effect of tree size and spatial distributions on growth for forest structures commonly considered
in uneven-aged forest stand management, large (0.2 ha+) plots were established in 14 uneven-aged ponderosa pine stands in
eastern Montana. All study trees were stem-mapped and measured for diameter and 10-year sapwood and basal area increment.
A generalized growth model was developed to predict both total and merchantable 10-year basal area increment for nine hypothetical
stand structures three diameter distributions (reverse-J, irregular, flat) × three spatial distributions (clumpy, partial
clumpy, uniform)]. Results indicate that the size and spatial distributions of individual trees have a considerable effect
on overall stand growth. The greatest total stand growth was in stands with reverse “J” shaped tree size distributions, while
the greatest merchantable stand growth was in stands with “flat” diameter distributions and uniform spatial distributions.
Through better comprehension of generalized uneven-aged stand growth dynamics, forest managers may better assess the effects
of alternative stand structures on stand growth while providing forest stand structures that may be more resilient in a changing
climate. |
| |
Keywords: | Uneven-aged Ponderosa pine Restoration Stand growth Growth efficiency |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|