2020 Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 1-11
Abstract: Surveys of almost all Cunninghamia lanceolata forests in Japan revealed that C. lanceolata grows in the per-area stem volume approximately twice as fast as Cryptomeria japonica at suitable sites. Previous reports on the growth characteristics of C. lanceolata were also reviewed. Changes in annual increments were analyzed and the growth patterns of individual trees from five forests were characterized. Generally, the maximum inflection point in annual growth increments did not appear before trees became 50 years old, and C. lanceolata individuals continued to grow beyond that age. A negative correlation was observed between the occurrence of stem breakage and forest age. Adequate forest management is considered to be necessary to control multistem phenomena depending on target whether single stem for timber production or multistem for biomass production. Addition of plus trees is necessary to form a basic C. lanceolata breeding population in Japan. The application of DNA markers will be important for identifying the provenance of plus trees and for managing breeding lines.
