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Light Requirement Rating
Every tree is ranked on a scale of 0 to 5 based on how much light it requires for optimal growth.
Five yellow suns indicate that it requires full sun to survive and reproduce.
One yellow sun indicates that it can survive and reproduce under a very dark canopy.
This largely affects which regeneration method is best for the tree but also influences where a seed or seedling should be planted. Older trees always require more direct sun than seedlings. The growth rate of the tree is best when the tree recieves a certain amount of sun.
In general if you have done a clearcut you may plant trees that require full sun because they will have the fastest growth. If you have done a seed tree treatment, you would want to manage something that has three or four suns. A shelterwood or group selection cut would regenerate best with trees that have 1 or 2 suns. If you want trees to grow in a forest with a very dense canopy that has not had any cutting then you want trees with no suns.
Water Requirement Bar
Every Landowner Factsheet has a red bar that shows how much water a tree needs or can tolerate.
A tree may only have one segment of bar such as this. It grows only in moist conditions, not normal or wetland.
Another tree may have several segments showing indicating that it grows in every moisture condition.
This affects where a seed or seedling should be planted. You should consider where water occurs and does not occur on your site before selecting a species to plant. Also, rainfall is an important factor. The silvics page offers a more detailed description of the water requirements.
Scale:
- desert
- dry (no streams, little rain)
- moderately dry (no streams, average rain)
- moderately moist (some streams, average rain)
- moist (streams nearby, lots of rain)
- wetland
Growth Rate
The number of runners on a Landowner Factsheet show how fast a tree grows compared to other trees.
Trees with five solid runners are the fastest growers.
Trees with four greyed-out runners are the slowest growers.
Tree size
Landowner Factsheets indicate how large a mature tree will be by rating it from 0 - 5 circles. This rating is relative to other trees and it combines combines height of the tree with size of the trunk.
Trees with five solid circles are the largest trees.
Trees with one solid circle are the smallest trees.
Larger species are generally better timber. Smaller species are safer to plant near buildings. The mature size of the tree is important to consider when spacing seedlings. Crowded trees will have a reduced growth rate. More detail about the adult dimensions of the trees are on the sylvics page.
Timber Value
Landowner Factsheets evaluate the stumpage value of a tree as compared to other trees using prices avaliable in 2004.
Trees with five solid dollar signs sell for the highest value.
Trees with one solid dollar sign sell for the lowest value.
To find out more about how much this tree is worth in your region, click on the words Timber Value and then go into USDA's Timber Prices on the Web.
Wildlife Value
Landowner Factsheets evaluate the wildlife value of a tree as it relates to animals.
Five solid birds mean that there is some animal that must have this tree to survive.
Trees with four grayed-out birds means that very few animals use the tree and it is not very important to any of them.
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