Age structure of the karri forest: 1. Defining and mapping structural development stages

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Abstract
Even-aged stands of karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) develop through distinct stages of development— Establishment, Juvenile, Immature, Mature and Senescent. This paper describes a study in which Immature, Mature and Senescent stages were interpreted from aerial photography. The age range of these stages was estimated by sampling diameters of dominant trees for which regressions of diameter and age had been established. The stage and age of uneven-aged stands was based on the biologically dominant cohort—the oldest cohort with a crown cover exceeding 25%. The results confirm that broad structural development stages can be mapped from API, and that the stages, defined from stand dynamics and silvicultural characteristics, correlate well with the age of the dominant cohort. Data for stages derived from interpretation and from historical records were combined to produce a map of development stages for the karri dominant forest in the south west of Western Australia. This was part of a broader study to model the development of forest age structure into the future.