Effect of first thinning and pruning on the individual growth of Pinus patula tree species

The effect of first thinning and pruning on height, diameter at breast height （DBH）, and volume growth was studied in individual trees of Pinus patula Schiede and Deppe in Chongoni Plantation, using four plots for thinning trials. Each of the plots was 0.5 ha and subjected to one of the fol- lowing silvicultural treatments： first thinning and pruning, first thinning and no pruning, pruning and no thinning, and control （no pruning and no thinning）. The silvicultural treatments were randomized in four replicates. Fourteen years after planting, the following parameters were measured including total height, DBH, and volume. The highest DBH and volume growth was observed in thinning and pruning, while the highest growth in height was observed where there was pruning and no thinning. Clearly, both thinning and pruning are an important manage- ment option in pine species plantations in Malawi to maximize the increase in volume productivity.

The influence of hydrogel soil amendment on the survival and growth of newly transplanted Pinus patula seedlings

Hydrogel amendments have been used to improve seedling survival and establishment particularly in dry environments. However, their effect on survival and growth of newly transplanted seedlings under varying water stress conditions is poorly known. In this regard, we examined the effects of Aqua Matrix Forestry~？, a potassium-based water-absorbent polymer, on the survival and early growth of Pinus patula seedlings planted in early-,mid-and late-dry season in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. The late-dry season was hotter and received more rainfall than the early-and mid-dry season. Hydrogel increased seedling survival by 34 and 22% in the mid-and late-dry season, respectively. Also, hydrogel-treated seedlings were significantly taller than untreated seedlings（P ／ 0.001）. The height to root collar diameter ratio of hydrogel-treated seedlings was greater than that of untreated seedlings only in the mid-dry season. In conclusion, increase in survival and early growth of hydrogel-treated seedlings suggests that hydrogels can be used to extend planting beyond the rainy season to include the dry months, a feat previously unattainable due to high seedling mortality. Further, these findings reflect similar findings with other hydrogels, suggesting that improved seedling survival and plant performance may be a general consequence of hydrogel amendments.

Growth and yield of nine pine species in Angola

A species introduction experiment including several tropical pines and eucalypts was established in 1966/1967 in the Tchianga research station in Angolan Highlands. Despite 27 years of political conflict （1975-2002） and lack of management, the research experiment has remained relatively well conserved. We measured the best conserved plots that were 41 years old in 2007 to obtain information on the growth of different pine species. We calculated stand characteristics including basal area, dominant height, mean diameter, and stand volume for Pinus patula Schiede ex Schiltdl. Et Cham., Pinus pseudostrobus Lindl., Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon, Pinus devoniana Lindl., Pinus chiapensis （Martinez） Andresen, Pinus elliottii Engelm., Pinus greggii Engelm. Ex Parl., Pinus montezumae Lamb. and Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl. The growing stock volume at 41 years was the highest in P. pseudostrobus, 1,325 m3^· ha^-1, followed by P. kesiya with 1,200 m^3· ha^-1. The widely planted P. patula had growing stock volume of 892 m^3· ha-^1. P. oocarpa and P. pseudostrobus had the highest stand basal area, over 80 m^2·ha^-1. Using increment core analyses we studied the temporal development of stand characteristics. Analysis of the mean annual increment （MAI） showed that rotation lengths of 20-30 years would maximize wood production. With these rotation lengths, the MAI of P. pseudostrobus would be 35 m^3· ha^-1. Other productive species were P. kesiya, P. ooearpa and P. chiapensis. P. patula had a maximum MAI of 20 m^3· ha^-1. P. greggii had the lowest mean annual volume production, only about 13 m^3· ha^-1.

Tree survival and maximum density of planted forests–Observations from South African spacing studies

Background：Among the most important aspects of risk and hazard studies relating to forest ecosystems are maximum forest density and density-dependent tree survival.Methods：Long-term observations about the maximum density of unthinned Pinus patula and P.elliottii field plots based on the Correlated Curve Trend（CCT）spacing studies which were established almost 8 decades ago by O’Connor（Forest Research with Special Reference to Planting Distances and Thinning,1935）in South Africa.Three specific approaches were introduced for analysing maximum density and tree survival,namely the‘limiting line’,Nilson’s sparsity and tree survival with the Weibull function.Results：The main results are：a）Maximum densities differ greatly among the two species grown on the same site and within the same species grown on different sites;it is possible to relate these differences to site index in both species.b）The relationship between the quadratic mean diameter and the minimum average spacing of surviving trees（known as Nilson’s Sparsity）appears to be surprisingly similar in both species.c）An analysis of tree survival in response to different initial planting espacements shows that the Weibull survival function parameters can be estimated if the initial planting density is known.This result is presented for each of the eight large experiments used in this study.Conclusions：This study contributes to a better understanding of tree survival and maximum density which are the key factors required for estimating risk and uncertainty.The risk of tree mortality is not constant,but varies with tree species,planting density,tree age and growing site.For estimating that risk,therefore,continuous long-term observation on different sites and with varying planting densities,as provided by the unthinned CCT series,are essential.