Silvicultural advice for reducing the risk of wind damage

Two scenarios can be tested:

The Forestry Commission Yield models for Sitka spruce with a maximum mean annual increment of 14 m3/ha/yr, initially planted at 1.7m spacing provides the following data for average trees within the crop.

Non-thin

Age Height (m) spacing (m) dbh (cm) vol (m3)
23 10.3 1.96 13 0.06
33 15.8 2.21 18 0.16
43 20.5 2.54 22 0.33

Intermediate thinning

Age Height (m) spacing (m) dbh (cm) vol (m3)
23 10.3 2.52 14 0.06
33 15.8 3.53 22 0.24
43 20.5 4.36 29 0.59

Calculate wind speeds to cause damage for trees growing on a peaty gley
Calculate wind speeds to cause damage for trees growing on a podzol
Summary and conclusions

a.law@macaulay.ac.uk

Last modified: Thu Aug 21 15:42:37 BST 1997