Stocking guidelines for the endemic Hawaiian hardwood, Acacia koa

Abstract

Stocking relationships are an important tool for foresters because they provide a means for evaluating how effectively the trees in a stand use available growing space. While stocking guidelines are not available for many tropical tree species, readily obtained measurements of stem and crown diameters can be used to develop preliminary stocking guidelines for most tree species. We demonstrate this approach for the endemic Hawaiian hardwood, Acacia koa, a species of major ecological and economic value in Hawaii. Using data from repeated censuses of multiple sites, we evaluated the influence of site quality and stand age on stocking guidelines for A. koa. Our results demonstrated that A. koa r..