Sudden sawlog study for loblolly pine on the Gulf Coastal Plain

This data publication contains the results of an experiment in Arizona to determine the effectiveness of four silvicultural treatments in producing loblolly pine sawtimber rapidly. This study also looked at the associated economics and wood quality. The four treatments were 1) sawtimber-only treatment, which reduced the stand to 100 trees per acre at age 9; 2) a sawtimber-pulpwood treatment that removed trees whose crowns were within 5-feet of the selected crop trees; 3) a delayed sawtimber treatment where the stand was reduced to 100 trees per acre at age 12, and 4) a control treatment where the stands were thinned to 85 square feet of basal area starting at age 12 and repeated every three years. In the first three treatments the trees were pruned to 50 percent of total height at their first thinning and every three years until there was a clear length of 33 feet. Measurements began at age 10 in 1954 and were officially closed at age 34, but measurements were collected at ages 36, 40, 46, 53, and 57, after which the stand was harvested. Data include tree diameter outside bark at multiple heights, tree heights at multiple specified tree diameters, total tree height and height to base of line crown, multiple crown widths measurements, quality of tree, data related to tree pruning, and other related data.
The purpose of this study was to see if intensive management combining early thinning with pruning is able to shorten the sawlog rotation considerably.
These data were originally published on 01/24/2022. On 07/21/2022, 09/27/2022, and 06/10/2024 minor metadata updates were made.