Growth and dendrometric relationships of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) planted in the coastal dunes of North Tunisia

The stone pine (Pinus pinea) is a valuable species grown all over the Mediterranean basin, for its wood, but also for its nut. It was planted in the coastal dunes of North Tunisia about 50 years ago to produce both fruit and timber. In order to better plan the management of these stands, establish the thinning regime, and forecast wood volume crop, we investigated the dendrometric relationships between stand age, mean diameter at breast height (DBH), mean height, and projected crown area (PCA) in three forests located at Mekna, Ouchtata and Bechateur, North Tunisia.