What is stand density and where does it come from?

1. What is stand density and where does it come from? New answers for an old question

2. Stand density • Quantitative measure of tree occupancy • Measure of crowding in tree stands

3. Applications-Distribute growth

4. Applications-Manage light penetration

5. Concept of stand density based on size-density relations

6. Application is very hypothetical • Experience is mostly consistent with the basic principles • Interaction between species, age, and site quality hamper efforts to empirically verify the theoretical relationships • The underlying basis of stand density – the systematic exchange of tree density for tree size at equilibrium - still lacks a consensus • “Equilibrium” is also an abstract concept

7. Seminar objective • To walk through a concept map that represents a word model that describes the underpinnings of size-density relationships • Propose a refined definition of stand density • Present a concrete definition of equilibrium conditions for size-density relations