Abstract

Chile has an important forest development based on the silviculture and utilization of fast growing species planted forests, currently the country has a total planted area of 2.42 million hectares; Pinus radiata D. Don (1.39), Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (0.59), Eucalyptus nitens (Deane & maiden) Maiden (0.27) and other species (0,17), and a well-developed forest industry on the sawnwood, cellulose and paper, boards and veneers, and other different production areas. Among other species there are several species of the genera Acacia, Atriplex, Eucalyptus, Pinus Pseudotsuga, Populus and other, introduced to the country in the past, meanly by the Forestry Institute (INFOR). Regarding to the planted forests however, there are zones in the country where climatic and soil conditions are not appropriated to establish and growth planted forests with the usual species and new species become necessary. Besides that, the climate change effects, including rainfall and temperature variation, can turn inappropriate other areas. Accordingly, seems to be inescapable a species diversification in planted forests as a mean to face the climate change effects and to cover new sites. Under the mentioned framework, INFOR has carried out different research line on new species and its silviculture and management in order to offer some alternatives to the owners and rural communities with new productive options. The research lines have included a number of species and among them Australian species of the Acacia genus such as Acacia dealbata Link., Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. And Acacia mearnsii De Wild., with a good adaptation and growth in different sites along the country. Confirmed the adaptation of new species become necessary the development of management tools, such as volume functions and growth and productivity predictive models. In this paper it is described the development of a first individual tree volume model for Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) based on information from a stand located at the Florida Commune, Bio Bio Region, as well as the methodology and the results.