Journal article
Factors determining the behaviour of dynamic self-thinning lines in Canadian interior spruce forests
Trees, Vol.40(4), pp.1-10
03/06/2026
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Abstract
Key message: Extrapolation of dynamic self-thinning lines in Canadian interior spruce forest stands intersected at a common point when quadratic mean diameter was used for average plant size but are the same line asymptotically when stand top height is used.
Abstract: In a forest stand undergoing steady and ongoing tree mortality, the self-thinning rule applies. This relates progressive stand stocking densities to average plant sizes with a power law. Often, quadratic mean diameter has been used as the measure of average size. It was found recently for a number of forest species, that when extrapolated in stands of differing site indices and initial stocking densities, such relationships intersect near a common point. This appeared to add a new concept to the self-thinning rule, but no explanation for it was immediately apparent. The present work applied an existing stand growth model for even-aged, Canadian interior spruce forests; these contain a mixture of two spruce species but are generally treated as monospecific, even-aged forests. It predicted the intersection at a common point of the self-thinning relationship for many stands. However, if average heights of tallest trees (top height) was used to represent average tree size at any age, the self-thinning relationship became a single relationship for different stands probably reflecting a balancing out with age of the competitive interactions between trees. It is clear that much further research is required to better understand how and why the self-thinning rule applies.
Details
- Title
- Factors determining the behaviour of dynamic self-thinning lines in Canadian interior spruce forests
- Creators
- P W West - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Trees, Vol.40(4), pp.1-10
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.
- Identifiers
- 991013385849402368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2026.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article