H. Makinen, EFFECT OF THINNING AND NATURAL VARIATION IN BOLE ROUNDNESS IN SCOTS PINE (PINUS-SYLVESTRIS L.), Forest ecology and management, 107(1-3), 1998, pp. 231-239
Bole eccentricity of Scots pine stems was measured on cross-sections o
f 30 trees felled from two (45 and 76 years old) thinning experiments
in South Finland. Eccentricity was greatest at stump height and dimini
shed on moving up the stem. At breast height, it varied from 2 to 9% i
rrespective of stand age or relative tree size. Orientation in the lon
gest bole radius showed no unambiguous dependence on compass direction
, slope direction or wind direction, i.e., it appears to be random. St
and density and thinnings also had no clear effect on bole eccentricit
y. It is suggested that the magnitude of bole eccentricity in the meas
ured stands was so small that it has no practical significance. (C) 19
98 Elsevier Science B.V.