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Volume and crown characteristics of juvenile loblolly pine grown at various ratios of between and within row spacings

Informally Refereed

Abstract

In plantation forestry, several silvicultural treatments can be row oriented. When rows are treated individually, planting trees in wider rows may result in lower silvicultural treatment cost, facilitate future operations, such as thinning and fire fighting, and provide a longer period with open canopy conditions. All these scenarios could provide benefit to landowners, depending on management objectives. Few studies have considered the effects of asymmetrical spacing on tree growth, stand yield, or wood quality. This study examines tree and stand attributes for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) grown at five rectangular spacings for a common stand density. The treatments include spacings of 9 by 8 feet, 12 by 6 feet, 15 by 4.8 feet, 18 by 4 feet, and 24 by 3 feet; these planting arrangements represent between-row to within-row spacing ratios of 1 to 1, 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 4 to 1, and 8 to 1, respectively. Tree and stand volumes and branching characteristics after the ninth-growing season are presented.

Parent Publication

Citation

Britt, John R.; Reynolds, Jason P. 2013. Volume and crown characteristics of juvenile loblolly pine grown at various ratios of between and within row spacings. In: Guldin, James M., ed. 2013. Proceedings of the 15th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-GTR-175. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 215-217.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/43594