The Impacts of Species, Physiological Age and Spacing on Tree Form and Branching

• Main Author: Naylor, Sarah
• Language: en
• Published: University of Canterbury. School of Forestry 2014
• Subjects: Pinus radiata; Eucalyptus nitens; species; initial stocking; physiological age; tree form; branching; significant
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9898

This dissertation examined the impact of species, physiological age and spacing on tree form and branching at a Nelder experiment located near Rolleston, Canterbury. Two species were compared, Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus nitens, at a range of stockings from 271 stems/ha to 40,466 stems/ha. Within the P. radiata, two different physiological ages were compared. Stocking and species significantly affected (p-value <0.05) tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), crown depth, branch mortality, branch angle, branch size and internode length. Only stocking was statistically significant for crown width, and height from the ground was also statistically significant for branch angle and branch mortality. DBH, crown width, crown depth, branch size and branch survival decreased with increasing stocking for both species. Branch angle and average internode length increased as stocking increased for both species, and branch angle and average internode length also increased as you moved away from the base of the tree. DBH, average internode length and branch size were significantly larger for P. radiata across all stockings, however branch mortality and branch angle were significantly larger for E. nitens. Physiological age was not statistically significant for any aspects of tree form or branching examined in this study.