Early response of ponderosa pine to spacing and brush: observations on a 12-year-old plantation

William W. Oliver

Treesearch

Early response of ponderosa pine to spacing and brush: observations on a 12-year-old plantation

Informally Refereed

Authors:

William W. Oliver

Year:

1979

Type:

Research Note

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

Res. Note PSW-341. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 7 p

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Download (PDF 2.16 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/48531.pdf

Abstract

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) was planted at five different spacings, from 6 by 6 to 18 by 18 feet, on a productive site in northern California. Spacing and brush effects on tree growth were evaluated both on plots where brush was allowed to develop and on plots kept free of brush. Competition between trees in brush-free plots began during the 8th year for trees spaced 6 by 6 feet and during the 10th year for trees spaced 9 by 9 feet. On several plots brush competition reduced tree diameters by the equivalent of nearly 3 years growth. These early results forecast the strong influence of spacing and brush on tree growth.

Keywords

Pinus ponderosa, tree growth, diameter increment, plantation spacing, ground cover, plant competition, brush, northern California

Citation

Oliver, W. W. 1979. Early response of ponderosa pine to spacing and brush: observations on a 12-year-old plantation. Res. Note PSW-341. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 7 p.