Planting Density Impacts on Slash Pine Stand Growth, Yield, Product Class Distribution, and Economics (original) (raw)

The establishment phase is a very critical decision-making phase in the life of a pine plantation. Key choices in site preparation intensity and type, pre-plant competition control, species selection, seedling genetic quality and size, fertilization, and first year post plant herbaceous weed control have large and long lasting effects on wood yields, rotation length, and products grown. Within a level of forest management, planting density, spacing configuration, and subsequent survival rate can affect stand access, time of canopy closure, time to first pine straw harvest, age to first thinning, number of thinnings, and product class distributions over time. Initially, higher planting densities yield more volume. Eventually, without thinning, stand volumes converge between lower and higher initial stand densities. The more intensive the management and the higher the site productivity the sooner this convergence occurs. An attractive initial spacing for slash pine (Pinus elliottii En...