Estimating bark thickness in natural stands of Eucalyptus

Information on bark thickness at various heights is sought to predict damage to trees by forest fires. A procedure which for natural stands of some smooth bark eucalyptus species enables the estimation of bark thickness at different heights from a single girth measurement at one metre height is discussed. The method utilizes the relationships of average girth, average bark thickness, and the regression coefficients of girth and bark thickness at given height positions, with height at one metre. The height positions are determined on a calibrating sample of about thirty trees of different sizes. Furthermore it is shown how the above information can be used to estimate bark volume, and hence bole volume, for Eucalyptus species of some commercial importance such as E. viminalis. Four species are considered: E. viminalis, E. pauciflora, E. mannifera and E. radiata.