AGE-AGE CORRELATIONS IN, AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BASIC DENSITY AND GROWTH IN EUCALYPTUS NITENS

Pith to bark density was measured on cores cut from 588 7-year-old Euc alyptus nitens trees. Heritability of ring density averaged 0.37 and w as consistently higher than the heritability of earlywood or latewood density. Earlywood, latewood, and ring densities were highly genetical ly correlated. Age-age correlations for ring density declined with inc reasing age difference, and were moderately described by LAMBETH's (19 80) relationship with log of age ratio. Disk and core densities were c alculated as weighted averages of ring densities. Age-age correlations for disks and cores were higher and better described by LAMBETH'S rel ationship than ring density correlations. Age-age correlations for gro wth assessed at 20 months, 4 years and 7 years were not well described by LAMBETH'S relationship. Height, diameter, and volume were well cor related at age 7 years (r(g)>0.9), as were disk density, core density, outer-ring density and Pilodyn penetration (r(g)>0.9). Density showed a weak negative genetic relationship with diameter at age 7 years (r( g)=-0.2).