Mean height, height increment, top height, and total volume were unaffected by thinning.
Shannon's H index, Fisher's alpha diversity index, and the proportion of wind-dispersed individuals had peak values in the middle of the study site, whereas total number of individuals, mean height, height SD, and the distributions of S. vinosa, Myrsine umbellata and Myrsine coriacea all had a trough in the middle plots (Figures 3 and 4).
Within the database system, the data were analysed to estimate mean top height (the average height of the 100 largest DBH stems ha−1); mean height (the height of the tree with mean DBH) and the height of individual trees.
Height growth (mean top height) was strongly correlated to age for all planted stands (r = 0.938, p < 0.001).
This research demonstrates that strong relationships can be developed for mean top height, green crown height, volume, mean diameter and basal area from LiDAR and stand metrics.
Models were developed using SAS software (SAS Institute Inc. 2008), to estimate mean top height, green crown height, total stem volume, mean diameter, basal area and total stand density.
Both mean top height and green crown height were predicted with a high degree of precision suggesting that LiDAR information could be useful for scheduling operations.
Site Index, which is a standardised measure of height productivity for a site, is defined for P. radiata as the mean top height (the average height of the 100 largest diameter trees per hectare) at age 20 years.
The positive linear relationships between LiDAR metrics and mean top height, green crown height, total stem volume, mean diameter and basal area had respective coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.85, 0.71, 0.83, 0.74 and 0.72.
Values of RMSE for the final models of mean top height, green crown height, stem volume, mean diameter, basal area and stand density were, respectively, 1.02 m, 0.427 m, 20.2 m3 ha-1, 13.9 mm, 3.81 m2 and 355 stems ha-1.
Mean top height, green crown height, volume, mean diameter, basal area, and stand density, respectively, ranged, six-fold, 17-fold, 226-fold, six-fold, 73-fold and 12-fold across the plot series (Table 2).
