Growth and soil moisture in thinned lodgepole pine.

Abstract

A lodgepole pine levels-of-growing-stock study showed that trees growing at lower stand densities had longer crowns and grew more rapidly in diameter but did not grow significantly faster in height. Gross cubic-volume increment decreased with decreasing stand density. The decrease was small per unit of density at the higher densities but much greater at the lower densities. However, at the lower densities more wood is being added to the larger trees that can reach usable size. Soil moisture withdrawal was reduced at the lower stand densities. Understory vegetation did not develop strongly even at the low stand densities. This fact may have been partly responsible for the sharply increased diameter growth rate and reduced evapotranspiration drain on stored soil water at low densities.

Citation

Dahms, Walter G. 1971. Growth and soil moisture in thinned lodgepole pine. USDA Forest Service Research Paper, PNW-127: 37 p.