Local Research Stands

In addition to generating a wide range of data on well developed irregular stands for use by the AFI Network, Andy Poore of SelectFor has also been promoting the use of simpler techniques to provide management information for stands under transformation in the UK and Ireland.

The main approach used to date is to select across a forest estate local research stands which are most advanced structurally and which cover a range of representative site-types and species compositions. Repeated measurements are then taken, with a return period varying from 5 to 10 years, in order to produce information which relates timber and diameter increment to stand structure. These data are then used guide the development of less advanced parts of the forest estate.

Initially complete enumeration using the check method has been used and results from two enumerations at Stourhead (Western) Estate in Wiltshire provide a good indication of the method and outputs from such an approach. For further information, please see our article:
CCF at Stourhead - Final Report    (Download PDF - 1.0 MB).

SelectFor have recently begun to use the Abbreviated AFI methodology to provide similar data at lower cost.