Growth Rings and Longevity of Agathis vitiensis (Seemann) Benth. & Hook. F. ex Drake in Fiji

Abstract

The anatomy of growth rings in Agathis vitiensls (Araucariaceae; Gymnospermae) in Fiji is described, and also the eccentricities in ring formation produced by variations in cambial activity. Latewood is formed during the dry season, and earlywood coincides with leaf and shoot growth during the hotter wet season. Radiocarbon dating of five trees indicates an approximately annual ring frequency. A relationship between trunk diameter and age is defined, with 95% confidence limits: age (years) ͭ6 25 + 3.7 (diam. of trunk, cm), ± 32%. The size-class frequency distribution of trunk diameters is consistent with a constant mortality amongst canopy trees. A cyclone caused seed cones to disintegrate, dispersing the seeds and establishing a transient seedling population.