Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth in height, diameter and volume production of a eucalyptus clone at 24 months of age planted at different spacing. Values of circumference at soil height, circumference at chest height and the heights of all plants in the plots were collected at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after planting. Using the collected data, the diameter values at ground and chest height and the mean height at each age were calculated. Rigorous cubing of the average tree in each plot was performed 24 months after planting to obtain the wood volume per tree and per hectare. The spacing did not present a clear pattern of influence on the total height of the plants. The final height was not affected by spacing. The effect of planting spacing on growth in diameter at soil height intensified from the first year after planting. Tree mean diameter increased with planting spacing, as well as the wood volume per tree. Wood volume per hectare was higher in the denser spacing.
Highlights
Species of the Eucalyptus genus are widely planted in Brazil for its wood quality, and for its good ecological adaptation which provides rapid growth
The effect of planting spacing on growth in diameter at soil height intensified from the first year after planting
The evaluations occurred in four seasons (6, 12, 18 and 24 months after planting), where diameter at soil height (DSH) and total height (TH) data were collected from the 20 plants in the useful area of each plot
Summary
Species of the Eucalyptus genus are widely planted in Brazil for its wood quality (which is suitable for various purposes), and for its good ecological adaptation which provides rapid growth. Growth responses may vary due to the site quality and the implemented spacing (Oliveira Neto et al, 2010; Beltrame et al, 2012). The formation of clonal eucalyptus forests represented a major advance in Brazilian silviculture, enabling greater production, improved stand quality and homogenization of the raw material used by the forest-based industry. This advance does not exempt adopting implantation techniques such as spacing and management in order to obtain regular and productive stands that economically fulfill the implantation and harvest conditions, especially when it comes to obtaining plantations for industrial purposes (Berger et al, 2002). Studies on the potential of generating energy from forest biomass have been performed in Brazil and around the world, reporting the potential of biomass for generating clean energy (Eloy et al, 2015)
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