Articles containing the keyword 'branching'

A process-oriented tree and stand growth model is extended to be applicable to the analysis of timber quality, and how it is influenced by silvicultural treatments. The tree-level model is based on the carbon balance and it incorporates the dynamics of five biomass variables as well as tree height, crown base, and breast height diameter. Allocation of carbon is based on the conservation of structural relationships, in particular, the pipe model. The pipe-model relationships are extended to the whorl level, but in order to avoid a 3-dimensional model of entire crown structure, the branch module is largely stochastic and aggregated. In model construction, a top-down hierarchy is used where at each step down, the upper level sets constraints for the lower level. Some advantages of this approach are model consistency and efficiency of calculations, but probably at the cost of reduced flexibility. The detailed structure related with the branching module is preliminary and will be improved when more data becomes available. Model parameters are identified for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Southern Finland, and example simulations are carried out to compare the development of quality characteristics in different stocking densities.

• Mäkelä, E-mail: am@mm.unknown
• Ikonen, E-mail: vi@mm.unknown
• Vanninen, E-mail: pv@mm.unknown

The development of shoot number and shoot properties was examined in successive shoot cohorts of young widely-spaced Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in a progeny trial. This was accomplished by reconstructing the branching process of the trees over a period of five years, from tree age 4 to 8. During this time the number of shoots in successive shoot cohorts increased rapidly, while at the same time the mean shoot length decreased. The decrease in shoot lengths from older to younger shoots was accompanied by a decline in the bifuraction frequency of the shoots. In general, rapid changes occurred in the branching characteristics during the yearly development of the trees. The variation in the branching characteristics was reflected in the development of the architecture and biomass production of the trees.

The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.

• Kuuluvainen, E-mail: tk@mm.unknown

The architecture of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) was studied in an eight-year-old progeny test. The measurements included characteristics of crown structure, spatial distribution of shoots and yield components. The spatial distribution of shoots showed striking between-tree differences, and two extreme distribution patterns were detected. One represented a non-layered structure with a vertically relative even shoot distribution, and the other a layered structure with a vertically highly uneven shoot distribution.

Close correlations existed between several components of tree architecture and it is suggested that changes in the phenotypic architecture in Scots pine follow an epigenetic pattern, which enables the prediction of adaptational changes in structural components. The structural characteristics related to high above-ground biomass were a long crown, high total shoot length, high number of branches per whorl and big shoots of low needle density occupying a big share of the crown volume.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Kuuluvainen, E-mail: tk@mm.unknown
• Kanninen, E-mail: mk@mm.unknown
• Salmi, E-mail: js@mm.unknown

Branching and terminal growth of lateral shoots and needle growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is investigated as a function of the whorl’s position and age and prevailing light climate. Number of buds per whorl was linearly and positively related to the whorl’s position and prevailing light climate. The growing whorl’s number counting from the apex was associated with declining bud number. The terminal growth of lateral shoots increased exponentially within the values 0.6–1.0 of the whorls position. Under these values the terminal growth was negligible. The growing whorl’s number indicated curvlinear decrease in shoot growth respectively, and only negligible growth occurred when the whorl’s age exceeded 10 years. The shoot growth was linearly related to the prevailing light climate but differences between dominating and dominated trees were apparent. The distribution of needle growth in the crown system was similar to that of shoot growth.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Ilonen, E-mail: pi@mm.unknown
• Hari, E-mail: ph@mm.unknown
• Kanninen, E-mail: mk@mm.unknown
• Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown

The study material included 600 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) grafts from the Tohmajärvi seed orchard in Eastern Finland. Their broad sense heritability for the height growth was 0.92, for the number of branches 0.87 and for the angle of branching 0.84. Grafts from Central Finland had cones more often than the southern ones, the frequencies being 26.3% and 11.2%. It seems that dominance plays a significant role in the genetical variation of this seed orchard and that height growth is probably more rewarding breeding characteristic than quality, the difference being small, however.

The PDF includes a summary in English.

• Rautiainen, E-mail: pr@mm.unknown

A time study was conducted in saw log harvesting site in state forests of Evo in Southern Finland in 1934. Felling was performed in teams of two loggers. Two teams were observed. The work was divided into several stages of work: felling, branching, cross-cutting, barking and making of top log. On the site grew Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.).

The daily working hours not including breaks was in average 5 hours and 33 minutes. The most time-consuming stage of the work was barking of the stem (55% of working time for Scots pine and 47% for Norway spruce), followed by felling (22.5% for pine and 19.4% for spruce), branching (11.7% and 21.6%) and cross-cutting (11.3% and 11.8%). Temperature affects barking strongly. Scots pine is slower to bark than Norway spruce. Similarly, butt and middle logs are slower to bark than top logs. It took in average 79.02 min to process one solid m³ of timber with bark and 91.45 min without bark.

The PDF includes a summary in German.

• Seppänen, E-mail: vs@mm.unknown

The article deals with outer characters of a pine from Patsjoki-river, in Finnish Lapland (Pinus silvestris L. var. lapponica (Fr.) Hn.). The tables describe the length of the needles, length of the shoots, branching and inflorescence. The statistical calculations of the data are based on W. Johannsen’s  (Elemente der exakten Erblichkeitslehre, Jena 1909)  (Elements of exact genetics) methods. The results cannot be generalized because of the insufficient amount of data. 

• Renvall, E-mail: ar@mm.unknown

• Kalliokoski, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, P.O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: tuomo.kalliokoski@metla.fi
• Nygren, Department of Forest Ecology, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: pn@nn.fi
• Sievänen, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, P.O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: rs@nn.fi