Impact of Stand Density and Tree Social Status on Aboveground Biomass Allocation of Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris L.

Abstract

Stand density changes due to aging and thinning interventions. At the same time, the social status of trees develops and varies due to different genetic conditions as well as access to nutrients and light. Trees growing in diverse conditions gain their social status in the stand, which, in the end, influences their development and biomass allocation. The objective of this research was to discover if stand density or tree social status has an impact on a tree’s aboveground biomass allocation. The study was carried out in five premature and five mature pine stands, growing in the same soil conditions. The selected sample stands had a different growing density, from low to high. In each sample stand, 10 trees were selected to represent a different social status, according to the Schädelin classification. There were 100 trees felled in total (50 in the premature stands and 50 in the mature stands), for which the dry biomass of the stem, living and dead branches, needles, and cones was determined. The results showed that stand density only had an impact on the branches’ biomass fraction but not the stem and foliage fractions, while social status had an impact on all the fractions. Dominant and codominant trees, as well as those with developed crowns, had a smaller share of the stem and higher share of branches in comparison with trees of a lower social status.

Estimation of Productivity and Costs of Using a Track Mini-Harvester with a Stroke Head for the First Commercial Thinning of a Scots Pine Stand

“…However, it should be stressed that this paper assessed the productivity of harvesting industrial roundwood having a minimum diameter of 5 cm inside bark. According to a study on the aboveground biomass allocation of Scots pines [53,54], the percentage share of merchantable wood ranges from 73 to 77%, depending on the biosocial position of the trees. As can be calculated from the tree volume tables for this stand of 25-year-old Scots pines [55], the results should, for energy purposes, be multiplied by a factor of 1.36 to ensure mini-harvester productivity in an industrial roundwood system for harvesting fractions of wood with small dimensions.…”

Forest Stand Management and Biomass Growth

“…The contribution to the Special Issue comprises 19 articles by authors involved in university, research institutions, and agencies, from nine countries from Asia, Europe, and America. The articles deal with agroforestry [1], natural forests [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], and forest plantations [13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

“…Hook. [4,16], Pinus sylvestris L. [10,15], Pinus taeda L. [14], Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold [18], Pinus rigida Mill. and the understory Quercus variabilis Blume, Quercus acutissima Carruth., Quercus mongolica Fisch.…”

“…The original research articles offer a wide range of aspects related to the management of forests and plantations, as well as to parameters useful in explaining biomass growth, also considering the urban forest. The collection provides an illustration of research activities on the impacts of stand management on the growth of stems and root systems [2][3][4]8,10,13] and on soil [4,[6][7][8]. The articles deal with damage to residual trees during thinning operations [14]; regeneration in a mixed deciduous forest [4] in a coppiced stand [6], and in a coniferous plantation [16]; carbon sequestration both in a protected lowland forest in Italy [5] and in a pine plantation in Korea [15]; and fertility in terms of maintenance of soil fertility in plantations [16] and fertilization management for seedling growing in greenhouse [2].…”

“…Quantitative and qualitative data on the deadwood in three types of lowland Mediterranean forest of a protected area provide useful information for sustainable management in production forests [5]. The legacy of disturbance is highlighted both in a tropical rainforest [8] and in a European beech forest [9], as well as the impact of stand density and tree social status, which is determined in terms of biomass of stems, living and dead branches, cones, and foliage in a Scots pine forest [10]. The description of the phenology of Sapindus mukorossi, a multifunctional tree, is proposed [17] as this species has interest for ecological and aesthetic values in landscaping and for its fruits used as raw materials for bioenergy and saponin production.…”