Resources / Forestry / Basal area
Forestry · Growth & yield · Stocking

Basal area

28 m²/ha

The combined cross-sectional area of all stems at breast height, per hectare — the standard measure of how densely the site is stocked with wood.

Worked example · vs full-site occupancy range
28 Full-site 25–30 Self-thin 32 0 40 m²/ha
vs full-site occupancy range
The benchmark

Fully-occupied 10-year blue gum stands carry around 25–32 m²/ha of basal area; beyond that, competition drives self-thinning.

Forest Products Commission WA ↗
What it signals

Basal area shows whether the stand is using the full site or crowding itself. Rising steadily, it signals healthy occupancy; plateauing early, it warns the site’s water and nutrients are maxed out and extra stems will only compete, not add volume.

Data required to calculate
DBH by stemcmLive stemsno./ha

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Match planting density to the site’s carrying capacity.

02

Sustain soil fertility so the stand can hold high occupancy.

03

Monitor for the onset of self-thinning as a harvest-timing cue.

Questions & answers

What is basal area?

The combined cross-sectional area of all stems at breast height, per hectare — the standard measure of how densely the site is stocked with wood.

What data do you need to calculate basal area?

You need: DBH by stem (cm), Live stems (no./ha). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good basal area benchmark?

Fully-occupied 10-year blue gum stands carry around 25–32 m²/ha of basal area; beyond that, competition drives self-thinning.

How do you improve basal area?

Match planting density to the site’s carrying capacity. Sustain soil fertility so the stand can hold high occupancy. Monitor for the onset of self-thinning as a harvest-timing cue.

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