Background and Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different cultivation densities and cutting turns on the wood yield of white poplar (Populus alba L.) trees in eastern part of Dehcheshmeh village in Farsan county.
Materials and Methods: An area of approximately 5 hectares was divided into 12 more or less uniform and flat terraces. According to the age of the trees, the terraces were divided into two groups: the terraces with young trees (from 6 to 7 years old) and those with older trees (from 15 to 18 years old). The terraces were also labeled either they were uncut, or under the first (cut) or second turn (double-cut) of cutting; and if they were grown in thin or dense cultivation. Number of shoots and the dimensions of the trees were measured using a plot sampling approach. The width of the annual rings of fallen trees was estimated using the photogrammetry method.
Results: Considering the age of trees as block, a split-plot design indicated that the trees grown in the cut terraces were significantly larger than those in uncut or double-cut terraces in sense of DBH, height, crown height and standing volume. The highest shoot number was observed in double-cut terraces and the highest crown height values were belonged to the uncut and the double-cut terraces. As the cultivations became thinner, the volume and dimensions of the trees increased significantly. The analysis of mean (MAI) and current (CAI) annual increment curves and the point where those curves intercepted, showed that the biological age for the thinned and cut cultivations (the superior treatments) were 12.1 and 13.0 years respectively.
Conclusion: In the center of poplar cultivation in the province of Chaharmahal-Va-Bakhtiari, it is strongly recommended to cultivate the white poplars in density of less than 100 trees per are, with a single cut, and for 12.5 years of rotation period.
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