Aldridge, S. M.  1982. An analysis of northern hardwoos permanent sample plots on State Forest Lands in New York. M.S. Thesis, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse,  471 pp.  


Summary:

One hundred-eleven northern hardwood permanent sample plots installed on State Forest lands in New York were analyzed to provide information having operational value in conjunction with the State Forest inventory program, and to determine what useful information the plots could provide about patterns and levels of growth for northern hardwood stands on State Forests.  Regression equations were constructed for predicting volume of individual trees.  Methods were developed for estimating growing stock volume of both even- and uneven-aged stands without a formal inventory, and suggestions for stand sampling presented.  Equations were derived to forecast future basal area and volume, and use of the plot inventory measurements to predict areal growth was explored.  Suggestions for remeasuring the permanent sample plots, and for expanding the kinds of information they provide about growth of northern hardwood stands on State Forests were outlined.  The following conclusions were drawn:
1)    enumerating basal area by tree size classes provided a viable alternative to making direct age determinations for identifying stand age arrangements;
2)    current measures of merchantable height for trees growing on the permanent sample plots differed significantly from measurements collected when the plots were inventoried, suggesting a need to verify height measurements collected on the plots;
3)    measures of stand basal area and mean merchantable height were useful for predicting cubic-foot and International ¼-inch board-foot volumes of both eve- and uneven-aged plots, and should be useful for predicting volume of stands;
4)    changes in merchantable height recorded for some trees on the permanent sample plots seemed to be responsible for the high estimates of average periodic annual board-foot volumes growth, implying a need to address the question of merchantable height growth among sawtimber trees;
5)    of the stand measures available, initial basal area and volume proved to be the best indicator of future basal area and volume, respectively for both even- and uneven-aged arrangements.
6)    inventory measurements collected on the permanent sample plots were not effective indicators of growth potential;
7)    more detailed information concerning age, age arrangement, site quality, and relative density should expand the kinds of information the permanent sample plots provide about growth of northern hardwoods on State Forests, and open opportunities for using the plots to investigate patterns of growth in relation to stands density and other factors.