Effect of stand segmentation on growth and development of Norway spruce stands

Segmentation of stands by tracks is often the first phase of forest tending. However, a suitable track width is still discussed in forest practice in the Czech Republic. This article deals with the effect of track width on the growth characteristics of young spruce stands. Research involves several...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: J. Horák, J. Novák
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences 2009-07-01
Series:Journal of Forest Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/jfs-200907-0004_effect-of-stand-segmentation-on-growth-and-development-of-norway-spruce-stands.php
Description
Summary:Segmentation of stands by tracks is often the first phase of forest tending. However, a suitable track width is still discussed in forest practice in the Czech Republic. This article deals with the effect of track width on the growth characteristics of young spruce stands. Research involves several variants of European thinning experiment IUFRO CZ 14 Machov situated in Eastern Bohemia. Totally 3 variants were analyzed: 1 - non-segmented control plot without thinning and plots with forest tending (at top height 10 and 20 m) and with different present width of tracks (plot 3 - originally 3.5 m, plot 4 - originally 5.0 m). The significantly positive effect of stand segmentation and tracks on dbh and crown length was found only for individuals growing in the first row next to a track. As regards the stand volume and volume of mean stem, differences between variants with skidding track (3 and 4) were found minimal and insignificant. Therefore, the observation did not reveal any evident losses of production caused by different widths of skidding tracks.
ISSN:1212-4834
1805-935X