New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts
Crown–stem dimension relationships in two New Zealand native forests
David A. Norton
C. Hamish Cochrane
Stephen D. Reay
School of Forestry
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch, New Zealand
david.norton@canterbury.ac.nz
Abstract The relationships between crown and stem
dimensions of trees in two South Island, New Zealand, natural forests
were investigated to determine whether they might explain differences
in tree species composition estimates based on canopy area and basal
area. Dacrydium cupressinum, a common canopy emergent at the
lowland podocarp forest site, had the strongest relationship between
crown and basal area and a significantly shallower slope than two
common understorey trees at that site, Weinmannia racemosa and Quintinia
acutifolia. Nothofagus solandri, the only canopy species at
the montane beech forest site, showed an intermediate slope and level
of correlation. We conclude that differences in estimates of species
composition can be at least partly explained by species-specific
differences in the relationship between crown area and basal area and
that caution is required in interpreting species relative abundances
where different methods have been used to quantify abundance. However,
the relationships are not strong enough to warrant the calculation of
equations for the prediction of crown area from basal area, as has been
done for several open-grown tree species.
Keywords species abundance; basal area; canopy
cover; vegetation sampling; podocarp forest; beech forest
B04010; Received 23 March 2004; accepted 8 June 2005; Online
publication date 29 July 2005
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2005, Vol. 43: 673–678
0028–825X/05/4303–0673 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005
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