The effect of thinning on radial growth of .Pinus pinea L (Case study: Plantation forest in Zaghmarz-Behshahr, Iran)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Prof., Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran

2 Corresponding author, Ph.D. of Forestry, Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

3 Research Specialist, Forests and Rangelands Research Department, Mazandaran Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Sari, Iran

Abstract

Background and objectives: Understanding the spatio-temporal variability of tree radial growth and its ecological response provides a basis for assessing forest vulnerability and growth under environmental changes. The growth response of plant communities, including different stand types, may depend on climatic parameters, silvicultural practices, and competition-induced stress. Dendrochronology is a reliable and highly reproducible technique for detecting tree growth patterns over time. Given the increasing national demand for wood resources and the role of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) in afforestation programs in northern Iran, the present study aimed to evaluate the growth response of this species to thinning operations by analyzing changes in radial growth in the Zaghmarz –Behshahr plantation, northern Iran.
Methodology: For this purpose, a plantation stand of stone pine located in the Zaghmarz nursery, 3 km south of the Caspian Sea, was selected. After a field survey, 20 trees from the thinned sections of the stand were randomly sampled, and two increment cores were extracted from each tree (west-facing core: Sample 1; east-facing core: Sample 2) at breast height using an increment borer. In the laboratory, ring widths were measured under a binocular microscope using the LINTAB measurement table and TSAPWin software with an accuracy of 0.01 mm.
Results: The results indicated that the developed chronology, with a mean sensitivity of 11.0 and GLK values ranging from 60% to 100%, showed good quality and a strong common growth signal among the sampled trees. Considering the relatively high mean ring widths in most trees (approximately 0.3–0.5 mm), the thinning conducted in 2005 appears to have effectively reduced competition and improved tree access to light and growth resources. Complete alignment between the east- and west-facing cores of each tree reflected a relatively uniform reduction in competition and balanced light availability following thinning. Moreover, the results showed that thinning had a positive and substantial effect on radial growth in stone pine, as the mean ring width during the ten-year period after thinning was about 20% higher than that during the ten-year period prior to thinning. Examination of growth orientation indicated that mean radial growth on the west side of the trunk was approximately 8% higher than that on the east side, likely due to greater light availability following the removal of canopy competition.
Conclusion: Overall, the findings confirm that thinning in stone pine stands has a long-term positive effect on radial growth and can be recommended as an effective management strategy in northern Iran’s afforestation programs.
 

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References

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