Optimal Diameter Growth Equations for Major Tree Species of the Midsouth

Abstract

Optimal diameter growth equations for 60 major tree species were fit using the potential relative increment (PRI) methodology. Almost 175,000 individuals from the Midsouth (Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas) were selected from the USDA Forest Service's Eastwide Forest Inventory Database (EFIDB). These records were then reduced to the individuals growing at the fastest rate given their species and size, and nonlinear ordinary least squares regression was used to fit equations to a subset of points with maximal increment. Sugarberry is provided as an example ofthe PRIderivation process.

Keywords

Potential relative increment (PRI), Eastwide Forest Inventory Database (EFIDB), nonlinear regression, sugarberry

Citation

Bragg, Don C. 2003. Optimal Diameter Growth Equations for Major Tree Species of the Midsouth. Southern Journal of Applied Foresty, Vol. 27, No. 1, February 2003 p. 5-10