Baseline Growth Performance Levels and Assessment Procedure for Commercial Tree Species in Alberta’s Mountains and Foothills

Authors
W.R. Dempster and Associates Ltd.
Resource Date:
1989
Page Length
66

Field work was undertaken on cut-over or burned sites during the summer of 1986 to acquire data on juvenile height development of commercial tree species growing in coal-bearing areas of the Eastern Slopes of Alberta. These data were used to define reasonable expectations of early growth performance under prevailing environmental conditions, as a basis for evaluating the success of reforestation following coal mining. Equations were developed predicting total seedling height and current annual height increment as a function of age and e1evat on. Procedures are described for applying the equations, with further adjustments for drainage class and aspect, to develop local growth standards, and for testing actual growth performance against these expectations .