Observational analysis of thinning impacts on growth yields in loblolly pine forests, suggesting optimal basal area management.
At age 21, loblolly pine plots thinned to 10 square feet of basal area at age 9 yielded a total of 88 cubic feet per acre per year. They supported 76 trees per acre averaging 12.9 inches d.b.h. and containing 6,400 board feet of sawtimber. Plots thinned to 85 square feet of basal area yielded 160 cubic feet per acre per year. They supported 251 trees per acre averaging 7.8 inches d.b.h. and containing 300 board feet of sawtimber. Thinning did not affect height growth, form class, or wood specific gravity.
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J. Bassett (1969) studied this question.
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