Density, ages, and growth rates in old-growth and young-growth forests in coastal Oregon
Canadian Journal of Forest Research
By: J. C. Tappeiner II, D. Huffman, T. Spies, and John D. Bailey
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Abstract
We studied the ages and diameter growth rates of trees in former Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.)Franco) old-growth stands on 10 sites and compared them with young-growth stands (50-70 years old, regenerated after timber harvest) in the Coast Range of western Oregon. The diameters and diameter growth rates for the first 100 years of trees
in the old-growth stands were significantly greater than those in the young-growth stands. Growth rates in the old stands were comparable with those from long-term studies of young stands in which density is about 100-120 trees/ha; often young-growth stand density is well over 500 trees/ha. Ages of large trees in the old stands ranged from 100 to 420 years; ages
in young stands varied by only about 5 to 10 years. Apparently, regeneration of old-growth stands on these sites occurred over a prolonged period, and trees grew at low density with little self-thinning; in contrast, after timber harvest, young stands may develop with high density of trees with similar ages and considerable self-thinning. The results suggest that thinning may be needed in dense young stands where the management objective is to speed development of old-growth characteristics.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Density, ages, and growth rates in old-growth and young-growth forests in coastal Oregon |
| Series title | Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
| DOI | 10.1139/x97-015 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | NRC Research Press |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 638 |
| Last page | 648 |