Abstract
There is widespread interest in estimating and forecasting individual tree and forest growth rates for restoration and carbon sequestration objectives. Outside intensively managed forests, past attempts have been limited by the lack of accurate long-term monitoring in multi-age mixed native forests to provide estimates of both expected mean diameter increments and the statistical variation in those estimates. A dataset from Eucalyptus-dominated native forests in subtropical Queensland, Australia offers an opportunity to provide accurate estimates of tree and forest growth rates. Over 86,400 trees from 155 native species were identified and remeasured between 1936 and 2011 in 641 permanent sample plots across a 500–2000 mm mean annual rainfall gradient. Individual tree diameter at breast height (DBH) increments observed for all species ranged mainly from 0.01 to 0.5 cm yr−1 (94 % of values), with consistent differences between rainfall zones (mean of 500–2000 mm yr−1), and varying differences between species (155) and stem diameter class (10–100 cm). For some species, diameter increment increased progressively with rainfall (e.g. Eucalyptus siderophloia, Eucalyptus propinqua, and Lophostemon confertus), but in others (e.g. Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, Corymbia intermedia, and Eucalyptus biturbinata) the greatest diameter increments were recorded between 1200 and 1600 mm yr−1. Where there were sufficient data, most species exhibited a quadratic relationship between DBH increment and DBH class, but two species (Callitris glaucophylla and Eucalyptus crebra) native to the 500–800 mm annual rainfall zone showed linear increases in DBH increment with increasing DBH. Continued monitoring of these plots would add to their already great value.
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Acknowledgments
The data used for this study are stored in a database maintained by the Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) and co-jointly held by the Forest Research, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). The legacy and contribution of past Queensland Government Forestry Departments and staff in data collection, collation and maintenance for over seven decades is greatly acknowledged. Assistance provided by Jiaorong Li and Rosemary Niehus in GIS, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service field staff, Jian Wang, David Moore, Rosemary Niehus and Sue Philips for 2011 field measurements is gratefully acknowledged. Peer review and suggestions provided by Dr Don Butler, Dr Arnon Accad and Dr John Neldner for earlier version of this manuscript are acknowledged with thanks.
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Corresponding editor: Hu Yanbo
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Ngugi, M.R., Doley, D., Cant, M. et al. Growth rates of Eucalyptus and other Australian native tree species derived from seven decades of growth monitoring. J. For. Res. 26, 811–826 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0095-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0095-z