Natural Resource Biometrics

Stand Stocking

Stand stocking is a measure of site occupancy. It is often defined as a maximum average stocking. This is often presented as a relative index (percent stocking).

Gingrich Stocking Charts

The Gingrich Diagram was presented in 1964, in conference proceedings and again in 1967 in Forest Science.  This diagram illustrates the relationship between basal area per acre, density (trees per acres) and the quadratic mean diameter (the diameter of the tree of average basal area).  The A-line is based on the normal stocking concept from normal yield tables.  Growth in stands above 100% is considered  to slow for normal forest management.  The B-line is the point of crown closure of trees with a maximum crown width.  A stand on the B-line is thought to have trees with no competition, yet no space wasted.  The C-line is an estimate based on normal yield tables of the lowest stocking that will grow to the B-line within ten years (Gingrich presented no published formulas for the C-Line).

Figure 1: Gingrich Stocking Diagram

Images

• Gingrich stocking chart (PNG format)
• Gingrich stocking chart (PDF format)
• Gingrich stocking chart (Postscript format)

Spreadsheets

• Gingrich stocking diagram - upland oaks (Excel 2010 spreadsheet format)
• Gingrich stocking diagram - upland oaks (metric) (Excel 2010 spreadsheet format) (Conversion by Jacob Fraser)
• Gingrich stocking - bottomland_hardwoods (Excel 2010 spreadsheet format)
• Gingrich stocking - northern_red_oak (Excel 2010 spreadsheet format)

Larsen, D. R. Dan C. Dey and T Faust 2010. A Stocking Diagram for Midwestern Eastern Cottonwood-Silver Maple-American Sycamore Bottomland Forests. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 27(4)132-139.961.

McGill, D. W. and R. Rogers, A. J. Martin, and J. S. Johnson. 1961. Measuring Stocking in Northern Red Oak Stands in Wisconsin, Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 16(3):144-150.