Abstract

A 30-year-old Pinus contorta stand, growing on a mediocre site in a harsh climate, was studied with respect to the state and development of individual trees and of the stand as a whole. Competition for space in the crown stratum resulted in greater height increment, the denser was the stand (etiolation). Crown length was affected only to a small extent by stand density. The increase in height increment in dense stands was approximately equal to the decrease at the base of the live crown. This implies that P. contorta maintains a good crown length even in dense stands. In P. contorta stands, the trees can grow closely together, maintain a good crown length and exhibit good growth. In the stand in question, stand volume and increment were directly proportional to the number of stems. A large number of stems resulted in good volume and increment.