Modeling the dynamics of forest inventory indicators and building growth tables for sprout-origin oak stands of the Voronezh region by type of forest growing conditions

Abstract In the Voronezh region, sprout-origin oak forests currently occupy an area of 94.7 thousand ha; these forests are a major element of the region’s forests after the wild fires of 2010. For evaluation of sprout-origin oak forests, forest managers use growth tables based on yield classes; those tables reflect neither forest growing conditions nor the diversity of the region’s sprout-origin oak forest stands and have an industrial focus. Based on the data of a mass forest inventory of more than 2,000 forest plots established in 11 types of forest growing conditions characterised by a variety of soil richness and moisture content, multidimensional equations have been derived and growth rate tables built for sprout-origin oak forests of the Voronezh region. The resulting growth tables demonstrate the dynamics of forest inventory indicators of the forest stands studied in the age range 10-160 years, basal area range 0.3-1.0 and the share of oak in the forest composition from 1 to 10 units. The tables allow evaluation of modal tree stands to be based on the measurements of average heights, diameters and areas of cross-sections and can be used in assessments of forest stands during forest inventory.