012071 Nokoe S K (Dep of Math and Computer Sci, Univ for Dev Stud, Navrongo Campus, P.O. Box 24, Navrongo, Ghana, Email: nokoe_biomaths@yahoo.uk) : Biomathematical modelling of stand growth:concepts, challenges or missing links. Int J Mgmt Syst 2005, 21(3), 225-242.
Stand growth refers to the cumulative changes over time in the dimension of group of trees constituting the stand. Modelling such phenomenon may be based on the single-tree distance dependent or distance-independent (Munro, 1974) or joint stand cumulative growth concepts (Nokoe, 1993), in addition to approaches utilising differential equations made popular by von Bertallanfy (1949, 1968) and others. The concept of time of passage addresses the movement of trees from one supposedly discrete class (of size) to another, and could be modelled approximately as a Markovian process (Horn, 1975; Leslie, 1945, 1948; Mervart, 1972). The difficulties with all these modelling approaches are compounded by several factors, which are of mathematical and non-mathematical nature. Effective stand growth modelling requires knowledge of actual ages of individual trees or long-term data, which are usually unavailable under tropical forestry setting. Furthermore, growth of trees is continuous and not discrete in nature questioning the rationale for discrete time steps required in Markovian processes. In addition, competition among different layers, stages and species of trees, and their interaction with time and environment provide elements that are completely beyond the limit of empirical information usually available. These complications recognise the need for intense Biomathematical efforts and inputs, as well as considering apporaches to modelling stand growth that incorporate stochastic elements and processes.
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