Longevity and duration of radial growth in Douglas-fir branches
- 1 November 1990
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Vol. 20 (11) , 1690-1695
- https://doi.org/10.1139/x90-225
Abstract
Duration of branch radial growth and longevity were summarized for 2153 branches immediately below the current live crown of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees in southwestern Oregon. Branch longevity averaged 24 years with a range of 4 to 72 years. The number of years without perceptible (13 × hand lens) annual branch radial growth averaged 8 years with a range of 0 to 49 years. Expressed as a percentage of branch longevity, the period lacking perceptible radial growth ranged from 0 to 93% with an average of 34%. As would be expected, greater longevity implied survival deeper into the crown; average percentage of longevity without radial growth also decreased with increasing depth into crown. The implications of branch growth patterns to stem growth and wood quality are discussed.Keywords
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