INTRODUCTION 



Information on growth and yield of managed stands plays a major role in both 

 stand prescription preparation and timber management planning. Stand characteristics 

 at various stages of development are used to plan intermediate cuttings as well as 

 the timing of the final harvest. But for many Northern Rockies habitat types (Daubenmire 

 and Daubenmire 1968) used in forest planning, there are insufficient data on forest 

 growth and yield. 



To strengthen this data base, permanent sample plots were established in 36 

 stands on 11 forests during 1970 and 1971 with the intention of measuring the results 

 of management practices; therefore, thinned stands and stands scheduled for thinning 

 were chosen. These study stands, located throughout western Montana, northern 

 Idaho, and eastern Washington (see fig. 1), were not selected with any randomness or 

 experimental design in mind. In 1975 and 1976 tlie plots were remeasured, resulting 

 in 5 years of growth information. 



The study encompasses a wide geographical area consisting of many climatic 

 conditions. The stand elevations range from 3,000 ft (914 m) to 7,000 ft (2 134 m) . 

 The slopes and aspects of the stands are also quite variable (table 1). 



Because of the diverse growing sites represented, the vegetation varies within 

 the study areas. The tree species represented include: 



Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl. 



Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco 



Pinus ponderosa Laws. var. ponderosa 



Pinus contorta Dougl. 



Tsuga heterophylla (Raf . ) Sarg. 



Thuja plicata Donn 



Larix occidentalis Nutt. 



grand fir 

 Douglas-fir 

 ponderosa pine 

 lodgepole pine 

 western hemlock 

 western redcedar 

 western larch 



The habitat types represented include: 



Tsuga heterophglla/Pachistima myrsinites 



western hemlock/ pachistima myrsinites 



Pinus ponderosa/Symphoricarpos albus 

 ponderosa pine/ snowberry 



Tshe/Pamy 

 Pipo/Syal 



Pseudotsuga menziesii /Calamagrostis rubescens- 

 arctostaphylos uva-ursi 



Douglas- f ir / pinegr ass- kinnikinnick 



Psme /Caru-aruv 



Abies grandis/Pachistima myrsinites 

 grand fir /pachistima myrsinites 



Abgr/Pamy 



Pseudotsuga menziesii /Symphoricarpos albus 

 Douglas- fir /snowberry 



Psme/Syal 



Abies lasiocarpa/Pachistima myrsinites 



sub-alpine fir /pachistima myrsinities 



Abla/Pamy 



Abies lasiocarpa/Vaccinium scoparium 



sub-alpine fir/grouse whortleberry 



Abla/Vasc 



Pseudotsuga menziesii /Physocarpus malvaceus 

 Douglas- fir ninebark 



Psme/Phma 



1 



