Variation in whole-tree basic wood density for a range of plantation species grown in New Zealand

Whole-tree basic wood density of individual trees of a variety of species has been determined in many different studies in New Zealand since 1977. These data were recently collated, and whole-tree values for each species have been aggregated across sites into 5-year age-classes, from 3 for E. regnans to 623 kg/m3 for E. globoidea. No data at age 30 years were available for Acacia mearnsii and E. maidenii but their mean density was respectively 658 kg/m3 at age 14 and 572 kg/m3 at age 11 years. Whole-tree mean density was about 418 kg/m3 for the cypresses and 406 kg/m3 for Ps. menziesii, almost irrespective of tree age. A notable feature of these data was the great variability in density between trees in a stand, but variation in whole-tree density with age showed consistent patterns for different species, in spite of confounded effects of site and stocking.