HEIGHT-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIPS FOR Araucaria angustifolia (BERTOL.) KUNTZE IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Height-diameter relationships are used in order to make forest inventories less expensive and to assess growth and yield. This study aimed to develop height-diameter models for individual trees of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze for different locations and growth conditions in Southern Brazil. Our data include locations of at least one third of this species natural geographical distribution. We used Michailoff’s model, and compared height-diameter tendency through analytical methods. The model showed good overall precision and accuracy. Trees growing in forest conditions had a higher asymptotic height, and reached it at smaller diameters than open-grown trees. Different regions had contrasting height-diameter tendency indicating site potential, especially for natural forests. Individual tree asymptotic height was correlated with site altitude and mean annual precipitation. This study represents a source of parameters for height-diameter relationships in a large geographical span, for a species with high cultural and timber value in Southern Brazil