Impacts of four decades of stand density management treatments on wood properties of loblolly pine

Stand density management is a powerful silvicultural tool for manipulating stand volumes, but it has the potential to alter key wood properties. At a site in northcentral Louisiana, five density management regimes were conducted over a 45-year period. At age 49, a stratified sample of trees was destructively harvested for crown length, taper, and specific gravity determination. No differences among these tree and wood characteristics were found, suggesting that forest managers have great flexibility in density management options for such a site from a wood quality perspective.