USING RING WIDTH CORRELATIONS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF PLANTATION DENSITY ON WOOD DENSITY AND ANATOMICAL PROPERTIES OF RED PINE (PINUS RESINOSA AIT.)

摘要

This study demonstrated that average ring width (or average annual radial growth rate) is a reliable parameter to quantify the effects of tree plantation density (growth suppression) on wood density and tracheid anatomical properties. The average ring width successfully correlated wood density and tracheid anatomical properties of red pines (Pinus resinosa Ait.) from a never thinned experimental plantation forest with five different initial plantation densities. The results indicate that plantation density has a pronounced effect on earlywood growth which resulted in increased latewood volumetric fraction, and uniform tracheid radial and wall thickness distribution. A similar approach of average ring width correlations may be applied to study wood and tracheid properties of trees growing in the densely populated natural forests.