In the practice of forest management, it is essential to focus not only on stand productivity but, even more importantly, on the improvement of stem wood quality as well. Most recently, be-cause of increased attention to high carbon concentration in wood products, there is a surge in demand for high quality sawn wood that can be used in long-lasting constructions. The quality of the wood is largely defined by tree characteristics such as the straightness of the stem and the lack of defects in branches [1-4] as well as stem diameter and wood density. The majority of internal (tree genetics) and external (natural factors, forest management) elements influence the growth and the development of quality stem wood [4-6].
Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) stands cover 21.0% of forested area in Lithuania [7]. It means that evaluating the stem quality of Norwegian spruces is important – this species offers significant economic value and is a profitable resource to the forestry industry. So far, there have been several experiments conducted that aimed to assess the stem quality of the Norway spruce [8-11]; however, further research would provide additional knowledge to both academic and practical forestry. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of stand density to Norway spruce stem and branch parameters.
Keywords: Norway spruce, stem wood quality, branch diameter, stand characteristics, picea abies
Authors
Lina Beniušienė
LAMMC, Instituto al, Akademija, , Kedainiai district, Lithuania
Marius Aleinikovas
LAMMC, Instituto al, Akademija, , Kedainiai district, Lithuania
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