Effects of Four Thinnings on the Growth, Yields and Financial Returns of a 62-Year-Old Red Pine Plantation
Growth data for a 62-year old plantation of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) at Rockland, Ontario, part of which was thinned four times between 1938 and 1972, and part of which was left unthinned, are presented for the two stand conditions, together with associated product yields and economic implications of alternative treatments. The investment in thinning, when based on historical costs and revenues, was attractive: the thinning program increased net present worth at each stage. When based on current costs and revenues, with no increase at an assumed inflation rate, the investment in thinning was less attractive, and it was not proved conclusively that the thinning program would be profitable. Financial growth peaked at a rotation age of approximately 50 years.