Dominant Height Growth in Tectona grandis Plantations in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tectona grandis (teak) plantations have gained increased interest in recent decades in Brazil, bringing about the need for acquiring information regarding the growth and productive potential. The present work aims to evaluate the growth of dominant height in teak at various locations in the state of Mato Grosso, midwest Brazil. For this purpose, six stands were evaluated in distinct municipalities and the database was obtained from trunk analysis. Subsequently, the dominant height growth was estimated using nonlinear regression models, whose performance was evaluated, based on goodness-of-fit statistics and graphical analysis of residues. Tests for model identity were used to analyze the differences in growth rates between sites (municipalities). The studied teak stands displayed different dominant height growth trends, with differences reaching up to 37%.

Keywords

• teak
• forest management
• growth models
• test for model identity