Silvicultural options to increase the profit of plantation forest

Abstract

A site-specific approach to silviculture that seeks to increase the productivity and profitability of plantation forest is proposed in this paper. It is necessary to develop a silvicultural cycle that starts at the tree nursery and finishes after the final harvest. Gains in growth are possible at each step through the definition of a target plant for a specific site, together with the use of improved genetic material, all of which are crucial in developing this program. Soil and site data are an important consideration in the proposals for specific methods to improve the silvicultural regimes. These will avoid risks that could affect plantation growth and will be cost efficient. Responses that double the yield of plantations (Type II) have been obtained in contrasting soils located in the 8th Region of Chile. It is consequently necessary to find the optimal factors to apply in each step of the silvicultural cycle in order to obtain equivalent results. Using site-specific silviculture, it will be possible to achieve success.