Competition radius among trees in an Atlantic Forest fragment under forest recovery

This research aimed to evaluate distance-dependent competition indices and defining a radius of competitive influence among trees in an Atlantic Forest fragment under forest recovery. The study area has 2.53 ha, in which the inventory was carried out with a sampling intensity of 15.81 %. Three competition indices and twenty distances for the competition radius (1, 2, 3... and 20 m) were evaluated. IC3 index, which relates the DBH of competing trees with the target tree multiplied by the distance between them plus one unit, proved to be the most adequate to represent competition. This index was strongly correlated with biometric attributes, having biological support and the lowest variability when increasing the competition radius. Competition indices and their respective variability tended to stabilize from the competition radius at approximately 6 m. It is concluded that IC3 index and 6 m competition radius are suitable when analyzing the relationship between competitiveness and biometric attributes at the study site.