Estimation of stand basal area growth and yield with a reverse logistic function
Logistic curves have been used to study the growth of human and animal populations. Physical chemists have used it to study the growth and senescence of chemical reactions. The present study investigates the application of the curve to forest stands for estimating basal area growth and yield. Graphic analysis with the basal area growth data, from permanent sample plots in red pine (Pinusresinosa Ait.) plantations of southern Ontario, exhibited reverse logistic trends. The parameters of the reverse logistic function were estimated by nonlinear regression techniques. Freese's chi-square test was employed to determine the accuracy of the resulting estimates of basal area growth and yield. Results, from the data used here, indicate that the function not only fits the data well but also has high predictive power.