Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) is a tree species that shows promise for plantation timber production in Vanuatu, but few growth data are available to inform yield forecasts. Three simple relationships summarizing stand dynamics, namely height-age, diameter-height-stocking, and mortality-basal area relationships, were calibrated with data from 15 plots to form the basis of a model for silvicultural and management decisions. Despite the simplicity of the model, it offers predictions consistent with independent data. The model suggests that the optimal silviculture involves planting 635 stems/ha, thinning at 20 and 26 years, and clearfelling at age 36 when trees have a diameter of 55 cm dbh. However, many options offer a net present value within 5% of this nominal optimum. The flexibility to vary the timing and intensity of harvests over a wide range while maintaining good financial returns, coupled with good growth and timber properties, suggests that whitewood warrants further domestication and promotion in Vanuatu.
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1 December 2012
Silvicultural Implications Arising from a Simple Simulation Model for Endospermum medullosum in Vanuatu
J.C. Grant,
K. Glencross,
J.D. Nichols,
G. Palmer,
M. Sethy,
J.K. Vanclay
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International Forestry Review
Vol. 14 • No. 4
December 2012
Vol. 14 • No. 4
December 2012
Endospermum medullosum
growth model
silviculture
simulation
Whitewood
yield forecast