Modelling the Growth and Quality of Crop Trees 20 Years After an Operation of Average Thinning in a Stand of Tolerant Hardwoods in New Brunswick

The goal of this research project is to study the impact of average spacing between trees in terms of the growth and the quality of the trees. This practice, called pre-commercial thinning, was performed at four different spacings of 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, and 2.8m, and an unthinned plot was left as a control. An initial phase of analysis examined separately the effects on the growth and on the quality of the trees. A second phase will focus on the best trees and will examine the residual density which offers the best diameter growth and tree quality. More complex analysis methods will be studied by the intern and later used to reach the prescribed objectives.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Martin Béland

Student:

Issifi Boureima

Partner:

Forintek Canada Corp

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Université de Moncton