EVALUATION OF THE DENSITY-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIP IN Pinus taeda STAND

This work was developed with the purpose of studying the efficiency of the models which express the density-diameter relationship in stands of Pinus taeda L., handled in full and highly stocked density. For that, Reineke, Yoda, Zelde and Tang models were adjusted. Such models relate the density of trees per hectare, considering the average diameter through data originated from 50 permanent portions, measured every year until the age of 18, implanted in spacing of 1.5x1.0 and 2.0x1.0 meters and kept in full density. Results indicate that all density and diameter models and self-thinning presented good statistical precision; however, the Tang model was more efficient than the others, presenting excellent coefficient of determination (0.99), low standard error of the estimative (0.0948), low variation coefficient (1.17%), low trend (0.0086) and high efficiency (0.8976), in the estimate of the values of density of trees per hectare for medium diameter, with in good residual distribution of the number of trees per hectare in function of the average diameter of the stand.