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Growth intercept models for assessing the site potential of young lodgepole pine stands in Alberta

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Forest management practices related to tree harvesting and regeneration in Alberta have historically attempted to replicate the effects of natural disturbance patterns. In order to maintain a... More ≫

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Forest management practices related to tree harvesting and regeneration in Alberta have historically attempted to replicate the effects of natural disturbance patterns. In order to maintain a sustained yield, and an ecosystem based sustainable forest management practice that aims at duplicating or potentially exceeding natural forest yields, and that emphasizes the maintenance of diversity among forest types, an assessment of the regeneration performance on the harvested areas is required. This assessment includes the quantification of regenerated site potentials, as commonly measured by site index. Growth intercept models were developed in this study to estimate site index based on a few years of juvenile height growth above a conveniently selected base height. In addition to being able to be used to predict site index in juvenile stands, these growth intercept models can also be used as the basis for projecting regenerated yields, evaluating silvicultural alternatives, and...

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Ecologically based site index curves and tables for major Alberta tree species

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This document presents ecologically based, reference-age invariant polymorphic height growth and site index models for major Alberta tree species. The models were developed using tree sectioning... More ≫

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This document presents ecologically based, reference-age invariant polymorphic height growth and site index models for major Alberta tree species. The models were developed using tree sectioning data from dominant and codominant trees. They can be used to predict the following: 1. Tree height from site index and breast height age, 2. site index from tree height and breast height age, 3. years needed for a tree to grow to a specified height, 4. height growth intercept. Since the models were fitted for the province as a whole and for groups of newly classified Natural Regions of Alberta, they can also be used to examine the regional differences of the height growth pattern. Relationships among breast height age, stump age and total age were also established so that compatible height growth and site index predictions can be made from any type of tree age. Tables and computer programs for predicting height growth and site index were prepared, along with a brief description of how to use...

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