Assessing potential sustainable wood yield

Abstract

Society is making unprecedented demands on world forests to produce and sustain many values. Chief among them is wood supply, and concerns are rising globally about the ability of forests to meet increasing needs. Assessing this is not easy. It requires a basic understanding of the principles governing forest productivity: how wood yield varies with tree and stand development; the implications of rotation length, utilization standards and silvicultural treatment; and effettive techniques for judging site potential and detecting changes in it. This chapter reviews these concepts and suggests workable approaches for assessing a site's ability to sustain wood production.

Citation

Powers, R.F. 2001. Assessing potential sustainable wood yield. In: Evans, J., ed. The Forests Handbook: applying forest science for sustainable management. Oxford. U.K.: Blackwell Science, Ltd.: 105-128. Vol. 2. Chap. 5.