Assessing the growth performance of teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) coppice two years after clearcut harvesting

The establishment of plantations has become an obvious option to mitigate the challenges placed on the worlds' natural forests due to anthropogenic factors. Teak is currently one of the most widely planted tree species used to curb deforestation especially, in Ghana. In this paper, we investigated the growth performance of teak coppice, two years after clearcutting. The results revealed that stump diameter and height significantly influenced the number of coppiced shoots. The maximum number of sprouts was found in stumps cut to a height of about 15 cm above ground. Also, stump diameter was positively correlated with number of sprouts as well as leader height. Though the models developed for average sprout height (16.0%) and leader height (8.5%) were significant, they did not account for most of the variation in the dataset based on their adjusted R-squared values. Hence, the management of coppice after clearcutting through thinning is important if better quality shoots are required to meet the purpose of production.