Abstract
Context
Regular mortality (or self-thinning) is an integral part of woody plant dynamics, and the mortality model is one of the most important transition functions within dynamic growth models.
Aims
The main objectives of the present study were to derive one-step stand-level mortality models for estimating the reduction in stand density with stand dominant height growth and to examine the applicability of the models in predicting regular mortality trends in even-aged natural stands and plantations.
Methods
Four model formulations based on graphical examination of the main trends in the data and on defined desired properties of the selected mathematical functions were proposed and tested in algebraic difference equation form with two datasets from pine plantations and two datasets from natural broadleaved even-aged stands.
Results
The mortality patterns of three of the datasets were characterized by reverse sigmoid curves, while the forth dataset exhibited a reverse J-shaped trajectory. The models analyzed adequately represented the density decrease trends of the data through sets of polymorphic curves with multiple asymptotes.
Conclusion
The dominant height-dependent mortality equations provide a simple and reliable approach to modeling the regular density decrease trends and can be considered for incorporation as a submodel within the framework of a dynamic Stand Density Management Diagram.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Forest Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and to Professor I. Marinov, who granted some of the data from Scots pine plantations used in this study. We also thank Dr F. Castedo-Dorado, who provided the radiata pine dataset (obtained in studies funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science through project no AGL2004-07976-C02-01, co-financed with ERDF) and offered valuable advice on preparation of the manuscript. Collection of the birch and oak data was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, through project no AGL2007-66739-C02-01, co-financed with ERDF, of which Dr U. Diéguez-Aranda was the team leader. We also express our gratitude to the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their critical suggestions and recommendations, which helped us to improve an earlier version of the manuscript.
Funding
This work was financially supported by the Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship Project within the 7th European Community Framework Programme: “Elaboration of advanced-level models for density management of coniferous and broadleaved even-aged natural stands and plantations in Europe” (PIEF-GA-2009-235039), conducted at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Handling Editor: Barry Alan Gardiner
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Tatiana V. Stankova: data collection, models derivation, data analysis, and writing of the manuscript. Ulises Diéguez-Aranda: data collection, scientific advice, supervision and corrections of the work, and coordination of the research project.
Ulises Diéguez-Aranda: data collection, scientific advice, supervision and corrections of the work, and coordination of the research project.
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Stankova, T.V., Diéguez-Aranda, U. Simple and reliable models of density decrease with dominant height growth for even-aged natural stands and plantations. Annals of Forest Science 70, 621–630 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-013-0303-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-013-0303-y