• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 1993

In the fall of 1992, growth characteristics and cone-bearing behaviour of crown top shoots were investigated on Pin us koraiensis trees, belonging to age class VII and IV, in the School Forests, College of Forestry, Kangwon National University to obtain basic information for the design of Korean pine cone harvesting machine. The results were summarized as follows. 1. The length of terminal main shoots and lateral shoots of the trees in age class IV was 27~56cm and 18~47cm, respectively, both of which were significantly higher than those of the trees in age class VII. 2. There was no significant difference between two age classes in the branching angle ($24{\sim}89^{\circ}$) of lateral shoots and in the diameter (10~30mm) of two-year-old main shoots. However, one-year-old terminal main shoots of age class IV showed the higher diameter (9~18mm) than those of age class VII. 3. Mean cone number per tree was 5, and mean fresh weight of cone was 272g. No significant difference was found in these traits between both age classes. 4. Cones, on an average, hung on the two-year-old main shoots 15cm above the basal ends in age class VII and 33cm above in age class IV. Both lengths are equivalent to one half and four fifths of the shoots, respectively. 5. The fresh weight range of crown-top shoots containing cones was 1.0~7.4kg.