Optimal Diameter Growth Equations for Major Tree Species of the Midsouth

Optimal diameter growth equations for 60 major tree species werefit using the potential relat ive increment (PRI) methodology. Almost 175,000 individualsfrom the Midsouth (Arkansas , Louis iana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas) were selectedfrom the USDA Forest Service’s Eastwide Forest Inventory Database (EFIDB). These records were then reduced to the individualsgrowing at thefastest rategiven their species and size, and nonlinear ordinary least squares regression was used toJt equations to a subset of points wi th maximal increment . Sugarberry is provided as an example ofthe PRIderivation process . South. J. Appl. For. 27(l):%10.