A Basal area model responsive to thinning for a plantation forest

摘要

The Tarawera valley spacing and thinning trial data were used to develop a dynamical model for basal area prediction that is responsive to both spacing and thinning. The model is a 'critically damped' second-order model, i.e., it simulates a sigmoidal response, before and after thinning. It has a scalar spacing variable, which makes the model responsive to different spacing trials. It also has a vector 'reductor' term, which enables simulation over different productivity sites, although this still needs to be validated with measured data. The dynamical model has the potential of being applied across a forest estate with different productivity sites, if data are available for all sites.