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IMPORTANCE OF DENSITY REDUCTIONS IN TROPICAL PLANTATIONS: EXPERIENCES IN CENTRAL AMERICA

SUMMARY The application of intermediate silvicultural operations to tropical plantations has lagged far behind advances in plantation establishment. Even though lack of thinning in fast growing plantations rapidly leads to reductions in individual tree growth, reforestation programs in many tropical countries have failed to recognize the urgency of the problem. Quantitative tree characteristics including live crown ratios (live crown length/total tree height), foliage biomass, height-diameter ratios and annual diameter and height increments are useful indicators of tree and stand vigour. In this paper, practical approaches to thinning are described for plantations of Tectona grandis L.F., Gmelina arborea Roxb., Eucalyptus spp. and other species in Central America. Ongoing initiatives to augment plantation silviculture with small producers are also reported. Promising areas of research include stand dynamics of tropical plantations and long-term monitoring of permanent sample plots in thinned stands.