Modeling Forest Trees and Stands

About this book

Drawing upon a wealth of past research and results, Modeling Forest Trees and Stands provides a comprehensive summary of state-of-the-art methods for empirical modeling of forest trees and stands. It opens by detailing whole-stand, size-class and individual-tree modeling approaches and moves on to incorporating silvicultural treatments and wood characteristics in growth and yield models.

Modeling Forest Trees and Stands concludes with a discussion on choosing an appropriate level of resolution for forest stand modeling as well as evaluating and implementing growth and yield models. Ideal for graduate-level forestry courses, Modeling Forest Trees and Stands is also useful for researchers working in growth and yield modeling.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Tree Form and Stem Taper
3. Tree-stem Volume Equations
4. Tree Weight and Biomass Estimation
5. Quantifying Tree Crowns
6. Growth Functions
7. Evaluating Site Quality
8. Quantifying Stand Density
9. Indices of Individual-tree Competition
10. Modeling Forest Stand Development
11. Whole-stand Models for Even-aged Stands
12. Diameter-distribution Models for Even-aged Stands
13. Size-class Models for Even-aged Stands
14. Individual-tree Models for Even-aged Stands
15. Growth and Yield Models for Uneven-aged Stands
16. Modeling Response to Silvicultural Treatments
17. Modeling Wood Characteristics
18. Model Implementation and Evaluation

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Biography

Dr. Harold Burkhart, University Distinguished Professor Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA Interest Areas: Modeling forest stand dynamics, growth and yield; applying quantitative analysis techniques to forestry problems. B.S., Oklahoma State University (1965) M.S., University of Georgia (1967) Ph.D., University of Georgia (1969) Current research project Cooperative Research Program in Growth and Yield of Managed Stands of Loblolly Pine (Twelve industrial forestry firms plus Virginia Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and USDA Forest Service, 1979-present): The objective of this Cooperative is to develop loblolly pine tree growth and stand development models sufficiently flexible to account for the effects of intensive cultural practices, with output sufficiently detailed to allow for analyses of a full range of utilization options. The Cooperative maintains three large field studies: (1) a set of designed spacing trials, (2) a region-wide set of growth plots in intensively managed plantations, and (3) two pruning experiments and is part of the NSF Center for Advanced Forestry Systems.