Abstract
It was assumed that stands could control snow cover movements as long as the stands were not be uprooted by the creep and glide pressure of snow and no large movements of snow cover were generated. To determine the stand density that satisfies these conditions, the distances of snow cover movements and the creep and glide pressure of snow were measured in various forests and stands of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don and Fagus crenata Blume were examined. The minimum stand density necessary to prevent uprooting by the creep and glide pressure of snow was determined according to the maximum snow depth and the basal diameter of the Cryptomeria japonica and Fagus crenata, respectively. It was found that more than 400 trees/ha were necessary to prevent large movements of snow cover in the stands assuming that the trees were distributed evenly in the stand. Thus, the stand density to control snow cover movements was represented as values in which both conditions were satisfied.
