© 1996 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Responses of carbon gain and growth of Pinus radiata stands to thinning and fertilizing
D. W. Sheriff
Plantation Forest Research Center, Division of Forestry and Forest Products, CSIRO, P.O. Box 946, Mount Gambier, SA 5290,
Australia / Received March 2, 1995
Summary
Thinning of forest stands is widely carried out to minimize the slowing of growth of individual stems that follows from increasing
competition among trees as they become bigger. After thinning, there is an increase in the growth rate of remaining trees
because of an increase in the availability of resources per tree. Often, there is also an increase in foliar efficiency (biomass
increase/foliage amount). On sites where mineral nutrient supply is limiting, fertilizers may be applied, often in association
with thinning, to boost productivity. Growth responses to fertilizer application depend on an adequate supply of other resources,
but also involve nonlinear interactions among mineral nutrients and between nutrients and other growth-limiting environmental
factors. The effects of thinning and fertilizing on the carbon gain and growth responses of Pinus radiata D. Don to availability of resources (light, mineral nutrients and water) and to changes in the canopy are discussed.
Keywords:
foliar efficiency, light, mineral nutrients, productivity, water.
