Abstract
Growth of ponderosa pine was studied by the western Forest and Range Experiment Stations of the USDA Forest Service in response to increasing demands for better and more precise estimates of yields possible through intensive management. We summarized results of 15 to 20 years of growth after thinning each of five stands to a wide range of stocking levels. The stands-two in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and one each in northern Arizona, central Oregon, and northern California-ranged in size from small saplings to large poles and in age from about 20 to 90 years. Within the fundamental constraints of site quality, thinning influenced growth markedly and, on the better sites, stands were more responsive to manipulation than they were on poorer sites. Only the most general conclusions are possible; nevertheless, results at every installation demonstrated the marked decline in volume production and, conversely, the rapid attainment of merchantable-sized material at low residual stand densities.
Keywords
ponderosa pine,
thinning,
stand densities
Citation
Oliver, William W.; Edminster, Carleton B. 1988. Growth of ponderosa pine thinned to different stocking levels in the western United States. In: Schmidt, W. C., comp. Proceedings - Future Forests of the Mountain West: A Stand Culture Symposium; 1986 September 29 - October 3; Missoula, MT. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-243. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. p. 153-159.
