Species Sitting: Climate, Soil and Productivity

Authors: D.S. Jackson
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 1965, Issue N.Z.J.For. 10(1) 1965, pp 90-102, May 1965
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: Species siting for exotic afforestation depends upon the provenances available, and the forester's interpretation of their site requirements. These are based initially upon homoclimal and habitat comparisons, but subsequent performance has often not corresponded with that expected.
The wood yield per acre of many trees exotic to New Zealand is unusually high, by world standards; but the relative yield of different species varies greatly with local climate and soil type. Maximum yields are not necessarily obtained only under conditions identical with those of a species' natural habitat, and there is need for a clear distinction between the ecological and physiological limits of productivity.
The validity of this distinction increases as management and land use become more intensive. Its implications for more precise species siting are discussed and illustrated.

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