Height of spruce stands (genus Picea) as a characteristic of their productivity: climatic aspects

A correct estimation of forest productivity is important for effective management and assessment of the quality of the habitat, and in this regard, many methods have been developed. The productivity of forests is usually determined by the stem volume. However, the latter is influenced by factors such as the initial density and history of forest management, as well as the duration of the logging turnover. The height of the stand was initially used as an indicator of the productivity of the forest sites, based on the hypothesis of its close correlation with the stem volume. This statement is known as the Eichhorn’s rule. Nevertheless, the inclusion of additional variables in the “average height – stem volume” dependence, taking into account the climatic and physical-geographical characteristics of the habitat, as well as soil conditions, significantly improves the predictive ability of the models. Based on the empirical data on the taxation indicators of spruce stands on 630 sample plots, established by different researchers in the territorial gradients of Eurasia, an empirical model of the change in the average height of spruce stands (genus Picea L.) depending on the age and density of the stand, on the one hand, and on the average temperatures of January and average annual precipitation, on the other one, is designed. It is confirmed the effect of the Liebig-Shelford law in the territorial gradients of Eurasia is confirmed. The pattern is consistent with the previously established change in the phytomass of trees and stands in the same gradients. The contributions of taxation indicators and climatic factors to the explanation of the variability of the average height of spruce forests amounted to 88 and 12 %, respectively. 

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