Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices

The selection of trees to be harvested is a core tenet of uneven-aged forest management; however, few studies have focused on the process of tree selection. A set of stand structural parameters (uniform angle index, W; mingling index, M; dominance index, U) based on tree neighbor-spatial relationshi...

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Main Authors: Li Y, Hui G, Wang H, Zhang G, Ye S
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF) 2017-06-01
Series:iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor2115-010
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author Li Y
Hui G
Wang H
Zhang G
Ye S
author_facet Li Y
Hui G
Wang H
Zhang G
Ye S
author_sort Li Y
collection DOAJ
description The selection of trees to be harvested is a core tenet of uneven-aged forest management; however, few studies have focused on the process of tree selection. A set of stand structural parameters (uniform angle index, W; mingling index, M; dominance index, U) based on tree neighbor-spatial relationships, are particularly suitable for expressing the structural characteristics of forest stands. Such indices were used to parameterize thinning in three plots (a-c, each 100 × 100 m2) in a Korean pine broad-leaved forest in northeastern China and one plot (h, 70 × 70 m2) in a pine-oak mixed forest in northwest China. Low-intensity single-tree selection was applied according to the principles of structure-based forest management (SBFM), i.e., to promote high mixture, obvious size differentiation, and random pattern with the aim of improving the overall structure of the managed plots. A group of thinning priority indices (v_ij, k_ij and z_ij) were calculated according to the bivariate distributions of the structural characteristics of harvested trees and stands before harvest. Our results demonstrated that v_ij, k_ij and z_ij adequately describe the spatial relationship between each tree and its nearest neighbors, and their combinations can be efficiently used to set thinning priorities on harvested trees with different structural characteristics. Their application can reduce the subjectivity of the selection process and improve the speed and accuracy of the choice of trees to be harvested in uneven-aged mixed forests.
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spelling doaj.art-6e49db2d4f774cd58be6ff089e6a8bd92022-12-22T02:57:12ZengItalian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry1971-74581971-74582017-06-0110156156610.3832/ifor2115-0102115Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indicesLi Y0Hui G1Wang H2Zhang G3Ye S4College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Daxue East Road 100, Xixiangtang District, Nanning, Guangxi Province 530004 (China)Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Box 1958, Beijing 100091 (China)Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Box 1958, Beijing 100091 (China)Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Box 1958, Beijing 100091 (China)College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Daxue East Road 100, Xixiangtang District, Nanning, Guangxi Province 530004 (China)The selection of trees to be harvested is a core tenet of uneven-aged forest management; however, few studies have focused on the process of tree selection. A set of stand structural parameters (uniform angle index, W; mingling index, M; dominance index, U) based on tree neighbor-spatial relationships, are particularly suitable for expressing the structural characteristics of forest stands. Such indices were used to parameterize thinning in three plots (a-c, each 100 × 100 m2) in a Korean pine broad-leaved forest in northeastern China and one plot (h, 70 × 70 m2) in a pine-oak mixed forest in northwest China. Low-intensity single-tree selection was applied according to the principles of structure-based forest management (SBFM), i.e., to promote high mixture, obvious size differentiation, and random pattern with the aim of improving the overall structure of the managed plots. A group of thinning priority indices (v_ij, k_ij and z_ij) were calculated according to the bivariate distributions of the structural characteristics of harvested trees and stands before harvest. Our results demonstrated that v_ij, k_ij and z_ij adequately describe the spatial relationship between each tree and its nearest neighbors, and their combinations can be efficiently used to set thinning priorities on harvested trees with different structural characteristics. Their application can reduce the subjectivity of the selection process and improve the speed and accuracy of the choice of trees to be harvested in uneven-aged mixed forests.https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor2115-010Dominance IndexMingling IndexThinningSBFMSilvicultureUneven-aged ForestUniform Angle Index
spellingShingle Li Y
Hui G
Wang H
Zhang G
Ye S
Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
Dominance Index
Mingling Index
Thinning
SBFM
Silviculture
Uneven-aged Forest
Uniform Angle Index
title Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
title_full Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
title_fullStr Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
title_full_unstemmed Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
title_short Selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
title_sort selection priority for harvested trees according to stand structural indices
topic Dominance Index
Mingling Index
Thinning
SBFM
Silviculture
Uneven-aged Forest
Uniform Angle Index
url https://iforest.sisef.org/contents/?id=ifor2115-010
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