Productivity of first and second rotation stands of radiata pine on sandy soils II. Height and volume growth at five years

Summary

Results of growth after five years are presented for a comparison of the productivity of successive rotations of Pinus radiata planted on infertile sandy soils in south-west Victoria. The growth experiment includes plots on sites of both high and low quality and has two parts: comparisons of first rotation (1R) and second rotation (2R) growth on precisely the same sites and an examination of growth on matched 1R and 2R sites. The non-burning of litter and logging residue before establishing the 2R crop was the only major difference in establishment practice between the two rotations. In both parts of the experiment there was no evidence for a decline in 2R growth at five years and, in fact, 2R growth was greater than that of 1R in both height and volume, especially on the low quality sites.

It is concluded that on infertile sandy soils, retention of litter and logging residue as a source of nutrients and organic matter for the next crop, as well as a mulch to conserve soil moisture, should at least maintain site productivity in the second rotation.