Mapping Shifts in the Relative Stocking of Tree Species

Abstract

Abstract Baseline standards for measuring the "health" of our forests do not exist. But, one factor that can be considered when making judgments about the health of a particular forest tree species is change in the relative stocking of that species, that is, the extent to which the species isgaining or losing ground in its ecosystem. The forest survey unit at the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station used remeasured forest inventory plot data to estimate current average annual change in the relative stocking of common forest tree species in Pennsylvania. Spatial shifts in therelative stocking of individual species were mapped. The procedure can be readily extended to other species in other regions. Information on shifts in relative stocking can provide a symptomatic guide to recognizing problems of forest health, and it gives us a better understanding of the complexworkings of a dynamic ecosystem. North. J. Appl. For. 13(2):92-95.