DIAMETER AND BASAL AREA RATIO RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF-THINNING IN Pinus taeda L. EVEN-AGED STANDS

ABSTRACT

This work aimed to study the relationship of the ratio of mean diameter and basal area at the self-thinning moment; the diameter tree growth; the occurrence and moment of self-thinning using the diameter-area proportion and the rate of self-thinning, comparing it to the law of the -3/2 power in stands of Pinus taeda L.. The data was collected from permanent plots experiment installed into a Pinus taeda L. stand and measured annually until 18 years-old with different spacing managed with complete density. The Tang model was used in order to relate the density of trees with the mean diameter. The self-thinning model showed precision and high efficiency. However, it showed a different slope coefficient of -1.65 that stressed from the self-thinning law of -3/2. At the self-thinning moment, the trees reached a diameter of 14 and 17 cm at the space of 2 x 2 and 3 x 3 with basal area of 38.8 and 47.5 m2/ha, respectively. In all spacing the maximum basal area was 78 m2/ha at 18 years old showing upward trend. In that spacing the diameter and basal area ratio at the moment of occurrence of self-thinning was 0.36 and 0.37, respectively.

Keywords:
diameter; basal area; self-thinning; density