Site tree refers to a type of tree used in
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
, which is used to classify the quality of
growing conditions trees at a particular forest location. A site tree, is a single
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
in a stand (group of growing trees) that gives a good representation of the average dominant or co-dominant tree in the stand. Site trees are used to calculate the
site index
Site index is a term used in forestry to describe the potential for forest trees to grow at a particular location or "site". Site is defined as "The average age of dominate and/or codominate trees of an even-aged, undisturbed site of intolerant tr ...
of the site in reference to a particular tree species. A site tree should belong to the dominant or co-dominant
overstory
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns.
In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...
class. The total height of the tree and age measured at
Diameter at breast height
Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements.
Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...
of a sample of site trees will be used to determine a
site index
Site index is a term used in forestry to describe the potential for forest trees to grow at a particular location or "site". Site is defined as "The average age of dominate and/or codominate trees of an even-aged, undisturbed site of intolerant tr ...
, which will show how tall trees of different species can grow on that site in a set amount of time. Sometimes several years are added to the breast-height age to account for time grown below .
Determining what a site tree should look like in a stand varies with what kind of stand one is standing in. The simplest stand to find a site tree in is an even aged stand of a single
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, much like a
forest plantation
A tree plantation, forest plantation, plantation forest, timber plantation or tree farm is a forest planted for high volume production of wood, usually by planting one type of tree as a monoculture forest. The term ''tree farm'' also is used to ...
. In this stand almost any dominant or co-dominant tree can be used. Finding a site tree is more difficult in uneven-aged, mixed species, stands.
There are multiple assumptions that are made when a site tree is chosen. Each site tree is assumed to have been a dominant or co-dominant individual its entire life. The site tree is assumed to have never been broken, injured, or suppressed. If the tree had any of these things happen to it the site index, which is derived from the site tree, value will be skewed.
Site trees are chosen by what species is being grown in a particular forest. Different trees on the same site will produce different measurements of a site index. For example, a yellow-poplar (''
Liriodendron tulipifera
''Liriodendron tulipifera''—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus ''Liriodendron'' (the other ...
'') growing on the same site as a white oak (''
Quercus alba
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...
'')
Quercus alba Fact Sheet
will grow at a different rate over the same amount of time. Graphs have been made that allow the user to measure a site tree of specific species and then use that measurement to predict what the measurements of a site tree of another species would be on the same site. This allows the user to predict how one species would grow on a site if that species was planted on the site. This is especially useful for timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
production, harvest operations, or any other forestry silvicultural
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production.
The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...
management that has specific species regeneration as a goal of the management plan.
See also
*Forest inventory
Forest inventory is the systematic collection of data and forest information for assessment or analysis. An estimate of the value and possible uses of timber is an important part of the broader information required to sustain ecosystems. When taki ...
*Site index
Site index is a term used in forestry to describe the potential for forest trees to grow at a particular location or "site". Site is defined as "The average age of dominate and/or codominate trees of an even-aged, undisturbed site of intolerant tr ...
References
{{Forestry
Forest modelling