Tree crown size as a measure of tree biosocial position in 135-year-old oak (Quercus L.) stand

Autorzy

• Katarzyna Kaźmierczak Poznań University of Life Sciences, Department of Forest Management, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
• Bogna Zawieja Poznań University of Life Sciences, Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
  phone: +48 61 8487153, e-mail: bogna13@up.poznan.pl

Abstract

The paper presents an attempt to apply measurable traits of a tree – crown projection area, crown length, diameter at breast height and tree height for classification of 135-year-old oak (Quercus L.) trees into Kraft classes. Statistical multivariate analysis was applied to reach the aim. Empirical material was collected on sample plot area of 0.75 ha, located in 135-year-old oak stand. Analysis of dimensional traits of oaks from 135-year-old stand allows quite certain classification of trees into three groups: pre-dominant, dominant and co-dominant and dominated ones. This seems to be quite promising, providing a tool for the approximation of the biosocial position of tree with no need for assessment in forest. Applied analyses do not allow distinguishing trees belonging to II and III Kraft classes. Unless the eye-estimation-based classification is completed, principal component analysis (PCA) method provided simple, provisional solution for grouping trees from 135-year-old stand into three overmentioned groups. Discriminant analysis gives more precise results compared with PCA. In the analysed stand, the most important traits for the evaluation of biosocial position were diameter at breast height, crown projection area and height.

Keywords

• crown projection area
• discriminant analysis
• LDA
• Kraft classes
• crown length
• PCA