Site Index Models for Main Forest-Forming Tree Species in Poland
1
Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
2
Institute of Geography & Spatial Management, Faculty of Geography & Geology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2020, 11(3), 301; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030301
Received: 4 February 2020 / Revised: 2 March 2020 / Accepted: 5 March 2020 / Published: 8 March 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Forest Ecology and Management)
Site index is the most commonly used measure of potential site productivity, providing key information for forest management practices. It is determined using species-specific site index models that take into account climatic and edaphic factors. To reliably estimate the site index, appropriate models are necessary. In Poland, however, outdated guidelines, i.e., yield tables, are used to determine site classes, which result in the inappropriate estimation of height growth and increments of stands. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop new site index models for the main forest forming tree species in Poland, in a total of eight species. For the development of site index models, we used growth trajectories of 3052 sample trees, representing the whole range of geographic locations and site conditions. Five dynamic models were selected and parametrized to develop the site index models. The models were evaluated using quantitative measures of goodness of fit (MAE, R2, and AIC), the analysis of residuals, and the assessment of how the model reflects the biological phenomena of height growth. Results showed that depending on the species, different models have the highest predictive ability. There are significant differences in results using traditional yield tables and developed site index models. For most of the species, the largest differences characterized either the youngest or the oldest age classes. These differences can be attributed to the changes in growth conditions from the time when yield tables were developed. Growth dynamics of forest stands may also show spatial variability, thus, in future research additional site variables and, regional variability should be taken into account.
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Keywords:
height growth; GADA; site productivity; site index model
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MDPI and ACS Style
Socha, J.; Tymińska-Czabańska, L.; Grabska, E.; Orzeł, S. Site Index Models for Main Forest-Forming Tree Species in Poland. Forests 2020, 11, 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030301
AMA Style
Socha J, Tymińska-Czabańska L, Grabska E, Orzeł S. Site Index Models for Main Forest-Forming Tree Species in Poland. Forests. 2020; 11(3):301. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030301
Chicago/Turabian StyleSocha, Jarosław; Tymińska-Czabańska, Luiza; Grabska, Ewa; Orzeł, Stanisław. 2020. "Site Index Models for Main Forest-Forming Tree Species in Poland" Forests 11, no. 3: 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030301
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