Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico
Even though the site index is a popular method for describing forest productivity, its use is limited in uneven-aged multispecies forests. Accordingly, the site form (SF) is an alternative measure of productivity to the site index based on the tree height–diameter relationship. Our study aims to eva...
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2764 |
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| author | Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez Carola Paul José Javier Corral-Rivas Kai Husmann Ulises Diéguez-Aranda Klaus von Gadow |
| author_facet | Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez Carola Paul José Javier Corral-Rivas Kai Husmann Ulises Diéguez-Aranda Klaus von Gadow |
| author_sort | Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Even though the site index is a popular method for describing forest productivity, its use is limited in uneven-aged multispecies forests. Accordingly, the site form (SF) is an alternative measure of productivity to the site index based on the tree height–diameter relationship. Our study aims to evaluate SF as a measure of productivity in the temperate uneven-aged multispecies forests of Durango, Mexico, applying three methods to estimate SF: (i) as the mean height of dominant trees at a reference diameter (SF<sub>H-D</sub>); (ii) as the expected mean height of dominant trees at a reference mean diameter (SF<sub>MH-MD</sub>), and (iii) as the expected height at a reference diameter for a given site (SF<sub>h-dbh</sub>). We assess the effectiveness of the SF based on two hypotheses: (i) the SF correlates to the total volume production, and (ii) the SF is independent of stand density. The SF<sub>H-D</sub> and the SF<sub>h-dbh</sub> showed a high correlation with productivity. However, they also did so with density. Contrary to this, the SF<sub>MH-MD</sub> had a weak correlation with density and productivity. We conclude that the SF is a suitable approach to describe site quality. Nonetheless, its effectiveness as a site quality indicator may be affected according to the method used. |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:34:07Z |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f06d3f6fc81a4456985ac1a9844e75642023-11-24T02:04:59ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-10-011120276410.3390/plants11202764Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, MexicoJaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez0Carola Paul1José Javier Corral-Rivas2Kai Husmann3Ulises Diéguez-Aranda4Klaus von Gadow5Department of Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-Use Planning, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-Use Planning, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyFacultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Río Papaloapan y Boulevard Durango S/N, Durango 34120, MexicoDepartment of Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-Use Planning, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyUnidad de Gestión Ambiental y Forestal Sostenible, Departamento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Benigno Ledo s/n, Campus Terra, 27002 Lugo, SpainFaculty of Forestry and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-Universität, Büsgenweg 5, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyEven though the site index is a popular method for describing forest productivity, its use is limited in uneven-aged multispecies forests. Accordingly, the site form (SF) is an alternative measure of productivity to the site index based on the tree height–diameter relationship. Our study aims to evaluate SF as a measure of productivity in the temperate uneven-aged multispecies forests of Durango, Mexico, applying three methods to estimate SF: (i) as the mean height of dominant trees at a reference diameter (SF<sub>H-D</sub>); (ii) as the expected mean height of dominant trees at a reference mean diameter (SF<sub>MH-MD</sub>), and (iii) as the expected height at a reference diameter for a given site (SF<sub>h-dbh</sub>). We assess the effectiveness of the SF based on two hypotheses: (i) the SF correlates to the total volume production, and (ii) the SF is independent of stand density. The SF<sub>H-D</sub> and the SF<sub>h-dbh</sub> showed a high correlation with productivity. However, they also did so with density. Contrary to this, the SF<sub>MH-MD</sub> had a weak correlation with density and productivity. We conclude that the SF is a suitable approach to describe site quality. Nonetheless, its effectiveness as a site quality indicator may be affected according to the method used.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2764site qualityuneven-aged multispecies standsdominant treessite productivity indexforest density |
| spellingShingle | Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez Carola Paul José Javier Corral-Rivas Kai Husmann Ulises Diéguez-Aranda Klaus von Gadow Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico Plants site quality uneven-aged multispecies stands dominant trees site productivity index forest density |
| title | Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Site Form as a Site Productive Indicator in Temperate Uneven-Aged Multispecies Forests in Durango, Mexico |
| title_sort | evaluation of the site form as a site productive indicator in temperate uneven aged multispecies forests in durango mexico |
| topic | site quality uneven-aged multispecies stands dominant trees site productivity index forest density |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/20/2764 |
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