<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The availability of a large amount of data from reliable sources is important for forest growth modelling. A permanent plot where trees are repeatedly measured provides a clearer picture of stand alterations. Various factors, including forest management, affect forest growth and accuracy of its assessment. In Estonia, mean height as a regression height prediction at mean square diameter is commonly used in forest management practice. Alternatively, dominant height can be used. The main advantage of using dominant height instead of mean height is that the growth of dominant trees is not so strongly affected by stand density (thinning). The aim of our research was to investigate the difference between mean height and dominant height when used as stand height. The research was based on the Estonian Network of Forest Research Plots (ENFRP). As a result, we found that the average mean height change was significantly greater in the case of thinning when compared to undisturbed stand development, whereas, the average dominant height change in the case of thinning compared to undisturbed development was less significant. As a side result, we developed a regression model that can be used for calculating the dominant height of the main tree species using stand attributes (mean height, quadratic mean diameter and density) with a residual standard deviation of 0.466 m.</p></abstract>

The availability of a large amount of data from reliable sources is important for forest growth modelling. A permanent plot where trees are repeatedly measured provides a clearer picture of stand alterations. Various factors, including forest management, affect forest growth and accuracy of its assessment. In Estonia, mean height as a regression height prediction at mean square diameter is commonly used in forest management practice. Alternatively, dominant height can be used. The main advantage of using dominant height instead of mean height is that the growth of dominant trees is not so strongly affected by stand density (thinning). The aim of our research was to investigate the difference between mean height and dominant height when used as stand height. The research was based on the Estonian Network of Forest Research Plots (ENFRP). As a result, we found that the average mean height change was significantly greater in the case of thinning when compared to undisturbed stand development, whereas, the average dominant height change in the case of thinning compared to undisturbed development was less significant. As a side result, we developed a regression model that can be used for calculating the dominant height of the main tree species using stand attributes (mean height, quadratic mean diameter and density) with a residual standard deviation of 0.466 m.

Mean height or dominant height – what to prefer for modelling the site index of Estonian forests?

Chair of Forest Management Planning and Wood Processing Technologies, Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering

Forestry Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keskmine kõrgus või domineeriv kõrgus – mida eelistada Eesti puistute kõrguskasvu modelleerimisel?

The availability of a large amount of data from reliable sources is important for forest growth modelling. A permanent plot where trees are repeatedly measured...

Mean height or dominant height – what to prefer for modelling the site index of Estonian forests?

Article Category: Research paper

Published Online: Sep 18, 2020

Page range: 121 - 138

Received: May 29, 2020

Accepted: Jun 30, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fsmu-2020-0010

Keywords
top height, stand height growth, permanent plot, thinning, growth model

© 2020 Toomas Tarmu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mean height or dominant height – what to prefer for modelling the site index of Estonian forests?

Article Category: Research paper

Published Online: Sep 18, 2020

Page range: 121 - 138

Received: May 29, 2020

Accepted: Jun 30, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fsmu-2020-0010

Keywordstop height, stand height growth, permanent plot, thinning, growth model

© 2020 Toomas Tarmu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
top height, stand height growth, permanent plot, thinning, growth model