Stand stability in pines: an important silvicultural criterion for the evaluation of thinnings and the development of thinning regimes: management paper

Abstract

This article deals with the role played by the stability factor (SF) in the evaluation of thinnings in fastgrowing, even-aged pine stands. It also illustrates how the stability factor is influenced by thinnings and site over time. The SF is expressed as the ratio between breast height diameter in centimeters and tree height in meters. The minimum cut-off values used by SAFCOL are 0,85 for P. radiata and 1,15 for the other major commercial pines. Most of the data was collected in the late 70's and was lost during the many changes in the Department of Forestry and SAFCOL. (See Editorial Comment on page 40)


Southern African Forestry Journal No.196, 2003: 37-40