Is self-thinning in ponderosa pine ruled by Dendroctonus bark beetles?

Abstract

Stand density of even-aged stands of ponderosa pine in California seems to be ruled by Dendroctonus bark beetles, rather than the suppressioninduced mortality common for other tree species. Size-density trajectories were plotted for 155 permanent plots in both plantations and natural stands. Bark beetle kills created a limiting Stand Density Index of 365 which differed little between stands on poor sites east and good sites west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range. Although good sites would be expected to carry a greater stand density than would poor sites, more explosive bark beetle populations and density-related stem breakage cancel this site advantage.

Parent Publication

• Forest health through silviculture: Proceedings of the 1995 National Silviculture Workshop

Citation

Oliver, William W. 1995. Is self-thinning in ponderosa pine ruled by Dendroctonus bark beetles?. In: L. G. Eskew, comp. Forest health through silviculture: proceedings of the 1995 National Silviculture Workshop, Mescalero, New Mexico, May 8-11, 1995. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-267. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 213-218