GROWTH, VOLUME EVOLUTION AND ASSORTMENT OF A PINUS ELLIOTTII ENGELM. STAND AT AN ADVANCED AGE
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to recover the silvicultural history of a 58-year-old Pinus elliottii stand, monitor its growth rate and volume evolution of assortments, especially in the older tree ages.
Methods: The study area is located in the Três Barras National Forest, SC, Brazil, and composed of four plots established in 1963, totaling an area of 8.95 ha. The studied stand was subjected to 4 mixed thinnings at 6, 14, 23 and 36 years of age, with the latter in 1999, and since then they have not undergone any further intervention. A census of the plots was conducted in 2013 and 2021; a collection of increment rolls of 33 trees was also performed in the four plots in 2021. A retrospective analysis and estimation of DBHs were performed in the years in which thinning was performed, hypsometric estimates were made, volume and assortment were calculated at the ages of the interventions using equations available in the literature.
Results: A reduction in diameter growth and stabilized height growth of trees was observed after 36 years, the date of the last thinning. Even so, it was found that 78% of the volumes at 50 years were of the most valuable assortment and 83% at 58 years.
Conclusion: There is a need for an economic, sensitivity and risk assessment to assess and identify the viability of long-term planting, especially the optimal age to balance wood production and proportion from the most valuable assortments in the shortest time.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The published articles are freely distributed among researchers and social media, and all authors transfer the copyright to Cerne. The research findings can also be used in classroom teaching, conferences, dissertations/theses, and other applications without any restriction. We strongly recommend citing the article to reach a wider audience. The Author also declares that the work is original and free of plagiarism. The authors agree with the publication and are responsible for the accuracy of the information.