The Peculiarities of Scots Pine Growth in the Conditions of the Krasnoyarsk Forest-Steppe

Abstract

The growth peculiarities of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) have been studied by the example of an even-aged pine stand of high density. A long-term research has been conducted on a permanent sample plot. The data has been collected from the stand aged from 37 to 55 years. The characteristics of individual trees and the entire stand during the growth period in the absence of external influences (cutting, windfalls, pest damage, etc.) and after improvement cuttings have been analyzed. The influence of the amount of resource available to a tree on the formation of crowns, root systems and stem wood has been investigated. The size of the available resource has been the square of the dominance area. The root system of the pine trees of the studied stands is compact in size and, despite the high stand density, due to the high content of nutrients in the soil and the absence of moisture deficiency, it sufficiently ensures intensive tree growth corresponding to the conditions of the I quality class. It has been found that under these conditions, the average area of the root system is proportional to the average square of the dominance area. It has been shown that the stem diameter at a height of 1.3 m in the absence of external influences significantly depends on the square of the dominance area. The correlation coefficient of these indicators for the studied stand at the age of 37 is 0.89. The influence of cuttings on annual radial increment has been studied using dendrochronology methods. It has been revealed that in the year following the cutting, it has increased by 1.3–2.0 times, depending on the increase in the square of the dominance area. A method has been proposed for calculating the competition coefficient as a share of the resource required for the free growth of a tree, which is redistributed between its closest neighbours. Long-term observations have shown that with competition coefficients exceeding 0.6–0.7, the stem diameter increment rate decreases significantly, and the trees develop a sparse crown extending less than 40 % of the tree height. This, in turn, leads to growth retardation and a transition to a depressed state. This, in turn, leads to growth retardation and a transition to a depressed state.

Keywords

• scots pine
• pinus sylvestris l.
• competition
• available resource
• crowns
• root system
• diameter increment
• the krasnoyarsk forest-steppe