7. Problems in Using Vegetation or Soil Classification in Determining Site Quality

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Abstract
This paper discusses the concepts of site and site quality and reviews briefly the determination of the latter. Site quality is viewed primarily as productive capacity of forest land, although other aspects are considered also. It is concluded that nowadays site index, or the top height of a stand at a certain reference age, is used more frequently than any other indicator. The various methods of determination of site quality, i.e. stand parameters, site factor analysis and classification are discussed. Main emphasis is given to vegetation or soil classification as determinant. The main problems in using vegetation are that it does not work well where it has been significantly altered or when the abundance of species increases. Soil classification also gives rather poor results since these systems are developed mainly for agricultural use. The trend is to include factors important for tree growth in the classification systems thereby improving determination. Better results are achieved with broader ecological methods which are always dependent on the condition of the ecosystem. South African approaches are reviewed.