Statistical Designs Used in Forestry with

Practical Examples
1. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD)
Example: Comparing the growth rates of three different tree species under varying soil
treatments.

Design:
- Blocks: Different soil types (e.g., clay, sandy, loamy).
- Treatments: Different tree species (e.g., oak, pine, maple).
- Each block contains all treatments randomly assigned.

Practical Application:
Objective: To control the variability due to soil type and assess the effect of tree species on
growth rates.
Procedure:
1. Identify three different soil types.
2. Divide each soil type into plots.
3. Randomly assign oak, pine, and maple trees to the plots within each soil type.
4. Measure and compare the growth rates of each species within and across soil types.

Analysis: Perform ANOVA to determine if there are significant differences in growth rates
due to species and soil types.

2. Split-Plot Design
Example: Evaluating the effect of different fertilizers and irrigation levels on tree growth.

Design:
- Main Plot Factor: Fertilizer types (e.g., organic, inorganic, mixed).
- Sub Plot Factor: Irrigation levels (e.g., low, medium, high).
- Each main plot is divided into subplots where different irrigation levels are applied.

Practical Application:
Objective: To study the interaction between fertilizers and irrigation levels on tree growth.
Procedure:
1. Identify a large area and divide it into main plots for each fertilizer type.
2. Within each main plot, create subplots for different irrigation levels.
3. Apply treatments and measure tree growth in each subplot.
Analysis: Use split-plot ANOVA to evaluate the main effects and interaction effects of
fertilizers and irrigation levels.

3. Factorial Design
Example: Investigating the combined effect of light intensity and water availability on
seedling survival.

Design:
- Factors: Light intensity (e.g., full sun, partial shade, full shade) and water availability (e.g.,
low, medium, high).
- All combinations of factors are tested (e.g., full sun & low water, partial shade & medium
water).

Practical Application:
Objective: To understand the interaction between light and water on seedling survival rates.
Procedure:
1. Create plots for each combination of light intensity and water availability.
2. Plant seedlings in each plot.
3. Monitor and record seedling survival rates.

Analysis: Conduct factorial ANOVA to examine the main and interaction effects of light
intensity and water availability on seedling survival.

4. Completely Randomized Design (CRD)

Example: Testing the effect of different fungicides on disease control in a single tree species.

Design:
- Treatments: Different fungicide types.
- Trees are randomly assigned to treatments.

Practical Application:
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of various fungicides on controlling tree disease.
Procedure:
1. Randomly assign trees to receive different fungicides.
2. Apply fungicides and monitor the health and disease presence on the trees.

Analysis: Use one-way ANOVA to compare the effectiveness of the different fungicides.

5. Latin Square Design

Example: Comparing the effect of different pruning techniques on tree yield, controlling for
variability in two directions (e.g., row and column effects).
Design:
- Rows and Columns: Represent spatial blocks or other sources of variability (e.g., different
rows and columns in an orchard).
- Treatments: Different pruning techniques.

Practical Application:
Objective: To control for two sources of variability while assessing the effect of pruning
techniques on yield.
Procedure:
1. Arrange the orchard into a grid with rows and columns.
2. Apply different pruning techniques in a manner that each technique appears once per
row and once per column.
3. Measure and compare the yield from each plot.

Analysis: Perform Latin Square ANOVA to account for row and column effects and
determine the impact of pruning techniques.