Size and Age Structure of Conifers Forests

Parker, Albert; Peet, Robert

This document compares size and age structures in sixty mature forest stands in Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park. We present data from near-climax conifer forests which fail to confirm the hypotheses of Knowles and Grant that the presence of a sharp inflection point in cumulative age distributions indicates a 'climax' stand and that 'climax' species will often have coincident diameter distributions. Data from Sierran forests show species to have divergent diameter distributions, and data from the Colorado Front Range reveal no evidence of inflection points in age distributions. If consistency in diameter distribution is sought, the traditional reversed-J (Deevey type II or III) curve is more consistent with both theory and our data from near-climax forests. There is no clear reason to expect an inflection point in age distributions of climax stands, and either a reversed-J distribution or nearly constant numbers with time is more readily explained.

Size and Age Structure of Conifers Forests

Series