SPATIAL CONTINUITY OF DENDROMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS IN CLONAL CULTIVATED EUCALYPTUS SP. TRHOUGHOUT THE TIME

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial continuity of the dendrometric characteristics average dominant height, volume and mean annual increment, throughout five different continuous ages. The experimental area was planted in 2003, accounting for 1,072.6 hectares. The data sets were derived from 116 permanent plots where successive forest inventory was carried out between 2006 and 2010. Using least squares weighted method, spherical, exponential and gaussian semivariogram models were fitted to the experimental semivariogram. To select the best model, reduced average error and standard deviation of the mean reduced error were analyzed. The spatial continuity assessment at along the time was carried out by comparison of the scaled semivariograms plotted considering the data sets from each age. Exponential semivariogram model has presented the best fitting and all the dendrometric characteristics has presented spatial continuity. The evaluated models were similar for each age and the studied characteristics as well. The results obtained with this study show that the use of geostatistical procedures to evaluate the growth of the trees throughout the time is an important planning tool, allowing a better management and prediction of wood volume in the forest.