Download (PDF 522 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/15876.pdf
Abstract
The measurements of electrical resistance of near-cambium tissues, selected biometric features of needles and shoots, and the annual radial increment as well as visual estimates of crown defoliation were performed on about 100 Norway spruce trees in three 60- to 70-year-old stands located in the Western Sudety Mountains. The defoliation, electrical resistance, and length of an individual shoot were classified as least reliable and of lowest diagnostic usability out of 17 parameters tested as estimates of tree health. In contrast, coefficients such as dry mass of one needle and dry mass of needles next to last set (per one shoot, per 1 cm of shoot) were evaluated as the most credible indicators of tree health. The normative scale of health, as expressed by the values of selected reliable coefficients, was then determined to allow an objective assessment of Norway spruce tree health.
Parent Publication
Citation
Lech, Pawel M. 2000. Reliability assessment of selected indicators of tree health. In: Hansen, Mark; Burk, Tom, eds. Integrated tools for natural resources inventories in the 21st century. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-212. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 377-384.
