In forestry, both yield tables and volume tables are
essential tools used to understand and manage forest
stands, but they serve different purposes and provide
distinct information.
1. Yield Table: A yield table (also known as a yield chart or growth
table) is a type of forest management tool that provides
information about the expected future growth and development
of a forest stand. It is typically based on the age of the stand and
provides estimates of various parameters such as:
Mean annual increment (MAI): The average annual growth of
the forest stand in terms of volume or biomass.
Current stand volume: The total volume or biomass of trees per
unit area at a particular age.
Total yield: The estimated total volume or biomass that can be
harvested from the stand at different ages.
Increment curves: These curves show how the volume or
biomass of the stand increases over time.
Yield tables are useful for forest planning and decision-making,
helping forest managers to estimate the potential future timber
yield from a forest stand at different stages of its development.
They are commonly developed using data collected from
permanent sample plots within the forest, and mathematical
models are used to extrapolate the growth patterns to different
ages.
2. Volume Table: A volume table (also known as a volume chart or
volume equation) is a different type of forest management tool
that provides a direct estimation of the current standing volume
or biomass of trees in a forest stand at a particular point in time.
It is typically based on the measurement of trees in sample plots
within the forest and is usually structured in a tabular form with
different tree diameters or diameter classes and corresponding
volumes or biomass estimates.
Volume tables are particularly useful for calculating the current
stock of timber or biomass in a forest stand. They help forest