Five-year thinning response of an overgrown Douglas-Fir Christmas tree plantation

A 15-year-old Douglas-fir Christmas tree plantation in western Oregon was thinned in 1996 according to regional sawtimber conversion guidelines. The plantation comprised two strata, distinguished by initial planting density (Area 1 = 5 x 5 ft and Area 2 = 10 x 10 ft). Unthinned control plots were established in both Area 1 and Area 2 at the time of the thinning treatment. Five years later, the quadratic mean diameter (QMD) in Area 1 (thinned) was 6.4 in. versus 5.2 in. in Area 1 (unthinned), while in Area 2 (thinned) the QMD was 11.4 in. compared to 9.3 in. in Area 2 (unthinned). Over the same period, the volume/ac in Area 1 (thinned) (1,080 ft(3)/ac) was nearly twice that of Area 1 (unthinned) (576 ft(3)/ac). In contrast, the volume/ac in Area 2 (thinned) (2,318, ft(3)/acre) was almost half that of Area 2 (unthinned) (4,264 ft(3)/ac). These results suggest that while thinning was timely for Area 1, the thinning treatment could have been delayed for Area 2. By plantation age 30, the treated units in Area 1 and Area 2 have estimated yields of 9.6 and 11.6 thousand bd ft (mbf), respectively, with no additional thinning. Given 2002 average prices for #3 sawmill grade logs, gross return at age 30 would range between $5,000 and $6,000/ac.