A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO STAND MANAGEMENT USING LEAF AREA INDEX AS THE INTEGRAL OF SITE STRUCTURE , PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION , AND RESOURCE SUPPLY /

Stand management involves manipulation of factors that are thought to control ecophysiological mechanisms determining forest growth and function. Stand leaf area index can be used to assess current growth, as well as site growth potential based on the perceived ability of the stand to respond to silvicultural manipulation (e.g., fertilization). We sampled the leaf area index (LAI) in 30 plots for each of six forest cover-types across the Southeast to examine natural variability in LAI. The mean index ranged from 3.5 to 5.1 m m" (projected); spruce-fir had the lowest while maple-beech-birch had the highest. We present a conceptual model that relates LAI to site resources, occupancy, and shade tolerance to initiate discourse and development of diagnostic tools for evaluating site-specific determinants of forest growth. Simulations from a process model suggest that biologically achievable LAI may not be optimal LAI for maximum growth.

[1]  M. Cannell,et al.  Light Use Efficiency and Woody Biomass Production of Poplar and Willow , 1988 .

[2]  F. Smith,et al.  Leaf Area-Sapwood Area Relations of Lodgepole Pine as Influenced by Stand Density and Site Index , 1988 .

[3]  M. Cannell.  Physiological basis of wood production: A review , 1989 .

[4]  W. G. Warren,et al.  A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF FOREST GROWTH EMPHASIZING STAND LEAF AREA , 2004 .

[5]  P. Curran,et al.  Factors influencing the amount and distribution of leaf area of pine stands , 1994 .

[6]  D. Neary,et al.  Effects of Annual Fertilization and Sustained Weed Control on Dry Matter Partitioning, Leaf Area, and Growth Efficiency of Juvenile Loblolly and Slash Pine , 1990, Forest Science.

[7]  G. Russell,et al.  Plant Canopies: Their Growth, Form and Function: Absorption of radiation by canopies and stand growth , 1989 .

[8]  Thomas M. Hinckley,et al.  THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF BRANCH AUTONOMY , 1991 .

[9]  K. Elliott,et al.  Changes in tree species diversity after successive clearcuts in the Southern Appalachians , 1994, Vegetatio.

[10]  T. Kira,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLANT FORM-THE PIPE MODEL THEORY : I.BASIC ANALYSES , 1964 .

[11]  R. Fisher,et al.  Response of semimature slash and loblolly pine plantations to fertilization with nitrogen and phosphorus. , 1980 .

[12]  Paul J. Curran,et al.  Dynamics of Canopy Structure and Light Interception in Pinus Elliottii Stands, North Florida , 1991 .

[13]  R. McMurtrie,et al.  Environmental constraints on the structure and productivity of pine forest ecosystems : a comparative analysis , 1994 .

[14]  T. Kira,et al.  Structure of forest canopies as related to their primary productivity , 1969 .

[15]  H. L. Allen,et al.  Leaf Area, Stemwood Growth, and Nutrition Relationships in Loblolly Pine , 1988, Forest Science.

[16]  M. Cannell,et al.  Dry matter partitioning in tree crops , 1985 .

[17]  J. Vose,et al.  Vertical leaf area distribution, light transmittance, and application of the Beer–Lambert Law in four mature hardwood stands in the southern Appalachians , 1995 .

[18]  J. Vose,et al.  Estimates of net photosynthetic parameters for twelve tree species in mature forests of the southern Appalachians. , 1996, Tree Physiology.

[19]  Robert F. Wittwer,et al.  Effects of stand development and weather on monthly leaf biomass dynamics of a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L. ) stand , 1995 .