Reconstructing structural development of even-aged larch stands in Siberia

A method was proposed for quantitatively reconstructing structural development over time of even-aged monospecific forests and was applied to a larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.) stand in Siberia. It relies on samples obtained at one-time observation and some simple assumptions considered general in even-aged stands. Tree-ring data taken from breast height of a group of the largest trees and those measured at various stem heights of several individuals representing the range of tree sizes in the plot are used for the estimation. Stand density and parameters of stem volume distribution at a given time in the past were calculated with the "stem slenderness index," and with an assumption of the -3/2 power distribution for the distribution function of stem size, respectively. By developing time-dependent allometric relationships for individual tree attributes, the whole-stand values of stem volume and its increment were reconstructed for several decades of stand development. Estimated history of the changes in stand density, total stem volume, and stem volume growth for the dense larch stand examined, mostly agreed with a separate estimation by the self-thinning assumption.