Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study

We estimated the age of plantation-grown trees lacking distinct and consistent annual rings to examine whether an anatomical method for determining the vessel traits of wood is effective in the tropical rain forest climate. Stem disks from 1 Dipterocarpaceae and 2 Meliaceae species for which the pla...

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Main Authors: Ohashi, Shinta, Okada, Naoki, Abdul Azim, Amir Affan, Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi, Nobuchi, Tadashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Japan Society of Tropical Ecology 2010
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/1/Estimation%20of%20tree%20age%20in%20the%20humid%20tropics%20by%20vessel%20measurement%20a%20preliminary%20study.pdf
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author Ohashi, Shinta
Okada, Naoki
Abdul Azim, Amir Affan
Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi
Nobuchi, Tadashi
author_facet Ohashi, Shinta
Okada, Naoki
Abdul Azim, Amir Affan
Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi
Nobuchi, Tadashi
author_sort Ohashi, Shinta
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description We estimated the age of plantation-grown trees lacking distinct and consistent annual rings to examine whether an anatomical method for determining the vessel traits of wood is effective in the tropical rain forest climate. Stem disks from 1 Dipterocarpaceae and 2 Meliaceae species for which the planting year was known were collected, and radial strips were sawn out from 2 different radii on each disk. We measured mean vessel lumen area (MVLA) and vessel frequency (VF) and found that radial changes in the 2 variables showed cyclic variation in all samples. The cycle number of both MVLA and VF mostly matched the tree age when they were analyzed with proper radial resolution. The number and shape of the cyclic variations were different between the 2 radii; this inconsistency could partly be ascribed to asynchronous cambium activity. The result implies that (1) the selection of sample species is important and (2) more than 1 radius should be analyzed to increase the accuracy of estimation. Thus, we concluded that vessel traits are important growth-ring indicators in the humid tropics, but a single application of this method of ring analysis may not be sufficiently accurate in age estimation. Further research on the factors affecting vessel formation will make the method more effective.
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spelling upm-485622016-10-10T03:43:05Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/ Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study Ohashi, Shinta Okada, Naoki Abdul Azim, Amir Affan Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi Nobuchi, Tadashi We estimated the age of plantation-grown trees lacking distinct and consistent annual rings to examine whether an anatomical method for determining the vessel traits of wood is effective in the tropical rain forest climate. Stem disks from 1 Dipterocarpaceae and 2 Meliaceae species for which the planting year was known were collected, and radial strips were sawn out from 2 different radii on each disk. We measured mean vessel lumen area (MVLA) and vessel frequency (VF) and found that radial changes in the 2 variables showed cyclic variation in all samples. The cycle number of both MVLA and VF mostly matched the tree age when they were analyzed with proper radial resolution. The number and shape of the cyclic variations were different between the 2 radii; this inconsistency could partly be ascribed to asynchronous cambium activity. The result implies that (1) the selection of sample species is important and (2) more than 1 radius should be analyzed to increase the accuracy of estimation. Thus, we concluded that vessel traits are important growth-ring indicators in the humid tropics, but a single application of this method of ring analysis may not be sufficiently accurate in age estimation. Further research on the factors affecting vessel formation will make the method more effective. The Japan Society of Tropical Ecology 2010 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/1/Estimation%20of%20tree%20age%20in%20the%20humid%20tropics%20by%20vessel%20measurement%20a%20preliminary%20study.pdf Ohashi, Shinta and Okada, Naoki and Abdul Azim, Amir Affan and Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi and Nobuchi, Tadashi (2010) Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study. Tropics, 19 (3). pp. 107-112. ISSN 0917-415X; ESSN: 1882-5729 https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/tropics/19/3/19_3_107/_article 10.3759/tropics.19.107
spellingShingle Ohashi, Shinta
Okada, Naoki
Abdul Azim, Amir Affan
Yahya, Ahmad Zuhaidi
Nobuchi, Tadashi
Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title_full Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title_fullStr Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title_full_unstemmed Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title_short Estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
title_sort estimation of tree age in the humid tropics by vessel measurement: a preliminary study
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/48562/1/Estimation%20of%20tree%20age%20in%20the%20humid%20tropics%20by%20vessel%20measurement%20a%20preliminary%20study.pdf