ABSTRACT
For management of native forests, aiming the sustainability of wood production, it is of concern, besides its volumetric growth, the growth and modifications in the shape of tree crown. This parameter is necessary to know the demands of vital space of different species as well as the modelling of competition and growth of forest settlements, starting from singular trees. This work uses the concept of dimensional series replacing the chronological series to calculate several morphometric indexes and to model the development of Cedrela fissilis crown, with the main objective of demonstrating the procedure. In this regard, 22 trees were selected in the surroundings of Santa Maria - RS, that were photographed in two positions (angle of 90° between pictures). Supported by these pictures, it was possible to construct a thredimensional crown model. The methodology was shown to be simple and effective, allowing to calculate several variables of interest. It was demonstrated that it is possible to obtain, in a relatively simple way, the tree crown model, indispensable to quantify the competition, based on crown surface or volume overlap, used frequently in modelling of forest growth, starting from singular trees.
Key words:
crown model; forest management; forest competition; singular trees