Structure and productivity of an eastern white pine plantation on two mid-Cumberland Plateau landtypes at ages 33 and 44
Abstract
We examined the growth of an eastern white pine (Pinus strobus, L) (EWP) plantation established in 1964 at 6- by 6-foot spacing on an abandoned pasture. Our study was located about 30 miles south of the botanical range of EWP on the mid-Cumberland Plateau in south-central Tennessee (35º13’ N; 85º56’ W). It extended across two landtypes (LT) (LT-1, undulating sandstone uplands and LT-5, north-facing sandstone slopes) with similar site indexes. Stand characteristics (survival, quadratic mean diameter, mean total height, site index, cubic and board foot volumes) at ages 33 and 44 were compared with those from an earlier measurement at age 15. Measured cubic volumes were compared with predicted values from two growth and yield models developed for EWP plantations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. At age 44, stand characteristics were similar between the two LTs and were in close agreement with model predictions. Results of this long-term, unreplicated study suggest that EWP may be a species for consideration by private landowners when converting medium-quality upland sites populated with low-value hardwoods to faster growing conifers on the mid-Cumberland Plateau.