Pre-commercial thinning effects on growth, yield and mortality in even-aged paper birch stands in British Columbia

Simard, Suzanne W.; Blenner-Hassett, Trevor; Cameron, Ian R.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2003.09.010

Cited by 68 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…This indicates that plant competition for resources was conspicuous during the observation period, which reached a point where thinning was necessary. This finding coincides with typical pre-commercial thinning of 10-20-year-old stands [45][46][47] and should be delayed to about 15 years for trees on sites with poor physical conditions [48]. Event history analysis provides more precise timing for management practices.…”

Section: Event History Analysissupporting

confidence: 81%

Determining Ideal Timing of Row Thinning for a Cryptomeria japonica Plantation Using Event History Analysis

Chung

Lin

et al. 2017

Forests

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Effective time of thinning is essential for determining a silvicultural operation schedule. One of the most commonly used methods is the percentage of radial increase to assess the effect of thinning. However, it is difficult to determine the ideal time point due to variation in tree growth rates. Event history analysis was used to quantify the optimal timings for different row thinning types for a 45-year-old Cryptomeria japonica plantation in the mountainous region of Taiwan. The increase in tree-ring size was measured and converted to the basal area increment (BAI) to estimate annual tree growth; derived time-series data were entered into event history analysis to calculate the time to 50% probability of survival. Additionally, an accelerated failure time regression was applied to test the effects of thinning and its timing; model validation was carried out to examine the influence of thinning time variation on plant growth through time. Results showed that thinning modified the temporal dynamics of the BAI, and, in general, a positive trend was observed between strip-width and time of thinning. Simulated tree growth in the model validation corroborated that accurate timing may optimize thinning effects. Combining tree-ring measurement and event history analysis may facilitate determining the timing of row thinning, which can improve carbon sequestration of forest stands.

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Section: Event History Analysissupporting

confidence: 81%

Determining Ideal Timing of Row Thinning for a Cryptomeria japonica Plantation Using Event History Analysis

Chung

Lin

et al. 2017

Forests

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“…We inferred that thinning promoted foliage biomass accumulation, but the type of distribution might vary with tree age; therefore, this phenomenon does not apply to all trees after thinning. Previous studies have revealed that thinning creates more space and a lighter environment for branch development, especially within lower crowns (Ginn et al 1991;Yu et al 2003;Simard et al 2004). Our findings indicate that the VAR model is a useful tool for quantifying the vertical distribution of crown mass, which can help interpret the differences in the distribution of the crown mass resulting from thinning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aboveground biomass and vertical distribution of crown for Taiwan red cypress 20 years after thinning

Yen¹,

Lee²,

Li³

et al. 2013

Dendrobiology

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Abstract:The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of thinning on the different growth stages of the Taiwan red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum) on the aboveground biomass allocation patterns and vertical distribution of foliage and branch biomass at the tree level. Although numerous studies in various fields have focused on the influence of thinning effects for Taiwan red cypress, few have assessed the aboveground biomass allocation of different growth stages, or conducted a long-term thinning observation. In this study, we examined 3 even-aged plantations in central Taiwan. In 1982, 3 stands, at ages 7, 15, 21 years, simultaneously began thinning trials. A thinning study was conducted once 20 years ago, and we assessed the long-term effects. The effects of thinning in each of the stands were analyzed and compared at the tree level 20 years later. Each component of the aboveground biomass (foliage, branches, and boles) increased with the thinning intensity, regardless of the age category of the trees; however, the crown mass/ aboveground tree mass appeared the same for each tree age category, regardless of the thinning intensity. We inferred that this phenomenon might result from the same proportional increase of crown mass and aboveground tree mass as the thinning intensity was increased. An allometric function was used to quantify the vertical distribution of the foliage and branch biomass; the results showed an increase in the accumulation of the branch biomass at lower heights following thinning, and the same trend was apparent in all 3 plantations.

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“…A lower stocking rate will delay canopy closure, increase branch size and slow down the process of self-pruning (e.g. Cameron 1996;Schatz et al 2008), while at the same time favouring stem diameter development (Erdmann et al 1975;Niemistö 1995;Simard et al 2004;Rytter 2013). Branch traits are considered in birch breeding since branch characters such as angle, thickness and numbers are all under intermediate genetic control (Stener and Jansson 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20-30% removal of the green crown. Height growth is generally influenced less than diameter growth by a reduced crown (Vuokila 1968;Stoddard and Stoddard 1987) in the same way that light competition reduces stem development (Niemistö 1995;Cameron et al 1995;Simard et al 2004;Rytter and Werner 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of pruning on wood properties of planted silver birch in southern Sweden

Stener¹,

Rytter²,

Jansson³

2017

Silva Fenn.

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Highlights• Pruning silver birch trees increased the production of defect-free wood outside the knots.• Most wood defects were found inside the knots.• Pruned birch trees provide butt logs with higher value than unpruned trees. AbstractPruning was performed at midsummer in two genetically homogenous and managed planted silver birch stands in southern Sweden -one aged 9 and one aged 10 years. Wood defects were analysed 10 years thereafter, using the five uppermost twigs of the stems up to a height of 30 dm. The number of trees examined at each site was around 70, of which half were pruned. The main findings were that: a) compared to unpruned trees, pruned trees produced more defect-free wood outside the knots; b) most wood defects were found inside the knots; and c) wood defects like rot and bark ingrowth were similar for pruned and unpruned trees, while discolouration was marginally higher for pruned trees inside knots but similar outside knots. Overall, the results confirm previous findings that pruned birch trees will provide butt logs with higher value than unpruned trees.

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Pre-commercial thinning effects on growth, yield and mortality in even-aged paper birch stands in British Columbia

Cited by 68 publications

References 26 publications

Determining Ideal Timing of Row Thinning for a Cryptomeria japonica Plantation Using Event History Analysis

Determining Ideal Timing of Row Thinning for a Cryptomeria japonica Plantation Using Event History Analysis

Aboveground biomass and vertical distribution of crown for Taiwan red cypress 20 years after thinning

Effects of pruning on wood properties of planted silver birch in southern Sweden

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